For the last two months or so I've been working in Eastern Virginia in a huge greenhouse facility, and in the last few weeks i've managed to get around to a few different places in the region. I was first told about a park near Washington, D.C. where there were supposed to be a few orchids including the very rare isotria medeoloides (Lesser Whorled Pogonia). It has a more common relative called the Large Whorled Pogonia which i've seen in a few places in upstate NY. I tried following the directions which I thought led me to a muddy pit/drainage area where I couldn't find the pogonias, but I did find some leaves of what I think are tipularia orchids.
tipularia leaves
I then dug out the first email directions i'd received which were a bit more clear, and I went down the road a bit further. I found an area that looked more likely, found some flagging as described and then found two cages with flagging and plants inside, and one with a bud. I had been told that one plant out of all at the park had a bud and that it might be open in a few days, and as I was just pre-checking out the area it was still just in bud. I left to find a parking ticket to the tune of $130 under my windshield wiper, and was somewhat disgruntled...
Lesser Whorled Pogonia in bud
I planned on going back a number of days later when I figured that the bud would be opened, but as fortune would have it the bud had blasted and looked like a tiny black cinder
A few days later I had the opportunity to travel some distance to visit a spot that was purported to have cypripedium kentuckiense; I had never expected to be somewhere in an area that might have this species of yellow ladyslipper, so was somewhat excited to have the chance to see the big, puffy flowers. I was told that the winter had been cold and long in this area, and that would delay things a bit. When I was walking around the park at first, a frequent visitor told me that this species usually was flowering around Mother's Day, and I was likely to only find seed pods if anything (bummer again). I decided to continue looking around, and did find a bunch of flower stems with lots of seed pods from the year before
tall orchid stem/pods
I decided later that these may be tipularia stems, as they flower without any leaf present. I found an interesting white flower that i'd seen before but couldn't remember the name
a little ways down the path, and I saw a few beautiful bright blue damselflies or 'darning needles' flitting about around some leaves in the sunlight. I was entranced, but couldn't get quite close enough....
I decided to take a side trail before getting near the area where the yellow ladyslippers were supposed to be, and soon found these pink ladyslippers past their prime
not far from the cyp acaule, I found what i'm pretty sure were fallen native magnolia flowers. their color was very interesting but definitely not flamboyant
Before meeting up the the family who told me about the yellows, I spotted some goodyera pubescens leaves, which I showed them ("cool" - was the reaction) turns out there was quite a number of them in different parts of the park, but too early for any flowering stems, I think (I didn't see any stems while I was there)
rattlesnake plantain orchid leaves
I love finding any of this genera in the woods, the patterns are really interesting
more soon
tipularia leaves
I then dug out the first email directions i'd received which were a bit more clear, and I went down the road a bit further. I found an area that looked more likely, found some flagging as described and then found two cages with flagging and plants inside, and one with a bud. I had been told that one plant out of all at the park had a bud and that it might be open in a few days, and as I was just pre-checking out the area it was still just in bud. I left to find a parking ticket to the tune of $130 under my windshield wiper, and was somewhat disgruntled...
Lesser Whorled Pogonia in bud
I planned on going back a number of days later when I figured that the bud would be opened, but as fortune would have it the bud had blasted and looked like a tiny black cinder
A few days later I had the opportunity to travel some distance to visit a spot that was purported to have cypripedium kentuckiense; I had never expected to be somewhere in an area that might have this species of yellow ladyslipper, so was somewhat excited to have the chance to see the big, puffy flowers. I was told that the winter had been cold and long in this area, and that would delay things a bit. When I was walking around the park at first, a frequent visitor told me that this species usually was flowering around Mother's Day, and I was likely to only find seed pods if anything (bummer again). I decided to continue looking around, and did find a bunch of flower stems with lots of seed pods from the year before
tall orchid stem/pods
I decided later that these may be tipularia stems, as they flower without any leaf present. I found an interesting white flower that i'd seen before but couldn't remember the name
a little ways down the path, and I saw a few beautiful bright blue damselflies or 'darning needles' flitting about around some leaves in the sunlight. I was entranced, but couldn't get quite close enough....
I decided to take a side trail before getting near the area where the yellow ladyslippers were supposed to be, and soon found these pink ladyslippers past their prime
not far from the cyp acaule, I found what i'm pretty sure were fallen native magnolia flowers. their color was very interesting but definitely not flamboyant
Before meeting up the the family who told me about the yellows, I spotted some goodyera pubescens leaves, which I showed them ("cool" - was the reaction)
turns out there was quite a number of them in different parts of the park, but too early for any flowering stems, I think (I didn't see any stems while I was there)
rattlesnake plantain orchid leaves
I love finding any of this genera in the woods, the patterns are really interesting
more soon
