Twenty-fourth Orchid of the Season

All the Piperias have been reclassified as Platantheras and so this is probably better known as Platanthera elongata, the Long-spurred Piperia, well named for its long, downward curved spur which is four times the length of the flower.  In any case, it is a lovely species when seen close, but the flowers are very small.  Usually the leaves have withered and disappeared by the time the plant flowers and so all one finds is a spike up to 60 cm tall with 75-100 flowers, though it is often much shorter and with many fewer flowers.  These were just starting to open when I photographed them in the area of Deception Pass on Whidbey Island.  They were growing with plants of Platanthera elegans which were a bit past their prime.

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.

Twenty-second Orchid of the Season

Like the other Piperias this species has been placed back in the genus Platanthera and is now Platanthera elegans.  It grows and blooms in exposed coastal areas and these were photographed near Deception Pass on Whidbey Island.  We've seen plants in the Olympics that were nearly 90 cm tall, but these were all around 30 cm, some even less, though that may be due to a very dry summer.  The flowers, though small, are densely packed and the species is quite showy, the most beautiful of our native Piperias.  Seen close-up the flowers, though they appear to be white, actually have a green stripe down the center of the petals.  The flowers are also faintly fragrant.

 Platanthera elegans

 Platanthera elegans and Platanthera elongata

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

Twentieth Orchid of the Season and Others

We saw these for the first time this year and for the first time at this location.  We were traveling through Sherman Pass in north-central Washington and found them at a place where we had been told to look by a friend.  With them we found a few Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys that were near the end of their season.  Epipactis gigantea is the only native species from the genus in North America.  It is known as the Stream Orchid for its love for river and lakeside sites and as the Chatterbox for its moveable lip which "chatters" in the slightest breeze like a little mouth.  The plants we see are usually not taller than 60 cm and carry six to ten 3 cm flowers.

Epipactis gigantea

Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys