In mid-June I spent a weekend going to Pitch Pine Bog near Rome, NY and then next day went up to West Canada Creek at Harvey Bridge. At WCC, I had been told by a co-worker that he had found a few lesser purple fringed orchis there plus a ton of other wildflowers. He has been going there quite often to fish and take flower pictures sometimes with other co-workers and family.
I ended up finding quite a few purple fringed orchis all along the bank going for quite a ways, and I think if I kept walking up along the creek bank I would have found quite a few more. Also was thinking that there might be some platanthera flava since this spot seemed very much like the upper hudson river area where I had been directed to other interesting orchids. Very soon I found them in very late flower, and not much longer after that I found club spur orchis in flower. Soon after that, I found spiranthes lucida in high seed pod stage. All in all there were four different native orchids growing on the bank very close to the water (and under water at high stages) and growing alongside and mixed in with each other. There were quite a few other interesting things flowering there as well. As always this spring/summer I had to keep an ear out for thunderstorms which did of course show up later.
..
platanthera flava
..
purple fringed
..
..
left pic club spur and purple fringed; right is shining ladies' tresses with seed pods. the spiranthes were within feet of the purple fringed and club spur growing together on a very shallow spit of sand/rocks out in the water. high water would completely cover these up
..
left pic is club spur and purple fringed
..
left pic club spur and purple fringed
..
left pic showing bank of creek with lots of purple fringed; right is nearby 'oswego tea'
I ended up finding quite a few purple fringed orchis all along the bank going for quite a ways, and I think if I kept walking up along the creek bank I would have found quite a few more. Also was thinking that there might be some platanthera flava since this spot seemed very much like the upper hudson river area where I had been directed to other interesting orchids. Very soon I found them in very late flower, and not much longer after that I found club spur orchis in flower. Soon after that, I found spiranthes lucida in high seed pod stage. All in all there were four different native orchids growing on the bank very close to the water (and under water at high stages) and growing alongside and mixed in with each other. There were quite a few other interesting things flowering there as well. As always this spring/summer I had to keep an ear out for thunderstorms which did of course show up later.


platanthera flava


purple fringed




left pic club spur and purple fringed; right is shining ladies' tresses with seed pods. the spiranthes were within feet of the purple fringed and club spur growing together on a very shallow spit of sand/rocks out in the water. high water would completely cover these up


left pic is club spur and purple fringed


left pic club spur and purple fringed


left pic showing bank of creek with lots of purple fringed; right is nearby 'oswego tea'