Three Piperias and a Goodyera at Deception Pass

Saturday, July 30, I was down on Whidbey Island at Deception Pass State Park to look for several orchids there.  I found three Platantheras (formerly Piperias) and one Goodyera in bloom.  Goodyera oblongifolia, the Giant Rattlesnake Orchis, was just starting to bloom.  The three Platantheras were at different stages of their bloom seasons.  Platanthera elegans, the Elegant Piperia, was nearly finished.  Platanthera transversa, the Flat-spurred Piperia, was still good but past its prime, and Plaatanthera elongata, the Long-spurred Piperia was at the peak of its bloom.  The latter species was also more abundant than usual, with hundreds of plants and several large colonies.  It should be noted that all the Piperias are now reclassified as Platantheras, though I prefer the old names since they are so distinctive.

Giant Rattlesnake Orchis

Goodyera oblongifolia

Elegant Piperia

Platanthera elegans

Flat-spurred Piperia

Platanthera transversa

Long-spurred Piperia

Platanthera elongata

Twenty-third Orchid of the Season

This is the smallest of the Platanthera/Piperias that grow in our area, the plants usually 20-45 cm, with many flowers closely packed on the stems.  Piperia transversa, the Flat-spurred Piperia, has been reclassified as a Platanthera transversa, but I have not yet gotten used to the new names.  From a distance the flowers appear to be cream-colored, but close-up they are white and green and are readily distinguished from the other Piperias by the spur which is held at a ninety degree angle to the stem.  The bloom season for this species is slightly later than that of Platanthera elegans and slightly earlier than that of Platanthera elongata, but it is possible to find all three species in bloom at the same time, as I did when these photos were taken in the area of Deception Pass on Whidbey Island.  There were not, however, as many of them this year as previous years, probably on account of the hot dry summer.

Platanthera transversa

Washington has five species of Platanthera that weere formerly classified as Piperia, and this is the smallest of the five, not taller than 30 cm and with 2 cm flowers (including the long spur).  It is known as the Flat-spurred Piperia, not for the shape of the spur but because it is parallel to the flower stem.  It is supposed to be fragrant at night but I have never tested that.  When it blooms the leaves have usually withered away and so all one sees is the bare flower spike with its blooms.  It likes drier areas in full or part sun.

June 23

(Columbia River Gorge)

July 25

(Whidbey Island)

Orchids of Washington Park

Washington Park lies on a rocky outcrop of Fidalgo Island and is a city park under the jurisdiction of Anacortes, the only city on Fidalgo Island.  One would not expect a city park to be a good place to find orchids, but this park, though heavily used is large enough (220 acres) and wild enough to support a wonderful variety of wildlife and wildflowers including numerous wild orchids.

We have found five different orchid species there that bloom over an extended period from April until August in the many trips we have made there.  The park includes a two-mile drive and we usually walk the road looking for orchids in the clearings along the road, but we also walk the many trails along the cliffs.  The different orchid species we have found in this wonderful park are:

Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis, the Western Fairy Slipper
We've found not only the normal form but the white form as well, forma nivea, and Washington Park is the only place we've ever found this rare form.  These bloom in abundance in the park around the end of April.

Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis, the Western Spotted Coralroot
This begins to bloom in the park as the Fairy Slippers are fading and is almost always the brown stemmed form, forma intermedia.  The unspotted yellow form of this species is also found in the park.

Corallorhiza mertensiana, the Western Coralroot
This also begins to bloom as the Fairy Slippers are fading but does not bloom over as long a period as the Western Spotted Coralroot.  The park, however, has the darkest forms we've seen of this species.

Goodyera oblongifolia, the Giant Rattlesnake Orchis
This fills the gap between the Coralroots and the last of the five species.  It blooms most of the summer and is by far the most common orchid in the park.  It is notable for its beautifully patterned leaves as well.

Platanthera transversa, the Flat-spurred Piperia
This is the last of the park's orchids to bloom, blooming after everything is nearly finished.  We see its leaves in the spring but when it blooms the leaves are gone.  It also is quite abundant in certain areas,