Thirty-first Orchid of the Season

It is amazing that by August 1st the native orchid season was already over this year.  Usually the season extends well into August and there are orchids to be found even into September, but not this year - it was too hot and too dry.  August 1st was the last field trip for the Washington Native Orchid Society and a small group of us visited several sites in eastern Washington near the Columbia River to see the endangered Ute Ladies'-tresses, Spiranthes diluvialis.  Like so many other species they were very few in number this year and were totally absent at one site.  We did find enough for photographs, however, though even those plants  were past their prime.  Spiranthes diluvialis is a natural hybrid of Spiranthes magnicamporum, the Great Plains Ladies'-tresses, which does not even grow in Washington, and Spiranthes romanzoffiana, the Hooded Ladies'-tresses.  It is taller than the Hooded Ladies'-tresses, up to 60 cm, though many of the plants we saw were much shorter.  The 1 cm flowers have a fringed appearance that immediately distinguishes them from our other two Spiranthes.

Twenty-ninth Orchid of the Season and Others

Chamisso's Orchid, Platanthera chorisiana, is one of our smallest native orchids and very hard to find.  In our area these grow in a boggy area among the sedges and at the edge of the bushes and shrubs.  Both plant and flowers are the same green as the grasses and sedges, too.  When I went to visit them they were finished blooming and so I've also included an older photo of the species.  They were 15 cm tall or less and the tiny flowers are less than 1 cm and do not open widely.  It grows at high elevations or northern latitudes.

Platanthera chorisiana

Growing in the same area were the Sierra Rein Orchis, Platanthera dilatata var. lecostachys, the Slender Bog Orchis, Platanthera stricta, and the Hooded Ladies'-tresses, Spiranthes romanzoffiana.  All of these were nearing the end of their blooming season as well, especially Platanthera stricta.  All of these plants like wet areas and sedge mat where they were found is always wet, but even there they were earlier than normal, due to an early spring, little snowfall in the mountains, and a hot dry summer.

Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys

Platanthera stricta

Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys and Platanthera stricta

Spiranthes romanzoffiana

Twenty-first Orchid of the Season and Others

We have three Spiranthes species in Washington.  Two are very rare and one of those is on the endangered list, but his species, Spiranthes romanzoffiana, the Hooded Ladies'-tresses, is very common.  This year, however, we have not seen very many of them, due, I am sure, to the hot dry weather we've been experiencing.  The species likes a sunny situation but in wet meadows and seeps and those are all dried up this year.  One location we visited had no plants at all, and the place where these were photographed had far fewer than normal and those were past their prime at least two weeks earlier than normal.  This Spiranthes can be very shot, sometimes less than 6 cm, though it can be much taller.

In the same area of the North Cascades where we photographed the Spiranthes, we also photographed two other orchids that like wet boggy areas, Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys, the Sierra Rein Orchis, and Plathanthera stricta, the Slender Bog Orchis.  They were growing in an area that was slightly more protected from the sun and also somewhat wetter due to springs and seeps.  The Sierra Rein Orchis differs from two other varieties in having a spur that is longer than the lip.  The Slender Bog Orchis, oine of most common orchids is distinguished by a short spur that is inflated at the end and by a narrow straight-sided lip.  Both of these species can be quite tall, 90-100 cm.

Spiranthes romanzoffiana

Platanthera stricta

Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys