Here in a corner of our NH woodland hillside, Cypripedium acaule- the pink lady slipper – grows in the dappled light, out of the wind in the duff and acidic soil beneath the mixed hardwoods and the white pines.
Nearby, on an old wood’s road near Squam Lake a group of white Cypripedium acaule grows on the banks of the old roadbed. These white Pink Lady Slippers have the same crease in their pouch as their pink siblings. The white color mutation of the flower doesn’t merit a new species name currently, although some folks describe it as Cypripedium acaule f. albiflorain recognition of this color mutation.
Acaule means stemless –unlike most plants, “the leafless flowering stem”1 of this orchid shoots out of the ground without any connecting leafy stems above its roots.2
We enjoy heading over the mountains to Woodstock VT, to see the Showy Lady Slippers – Cypripedium reginae– coming into bloom now. They appear to carpet acres of the Eshqua Bog.
The pouch on these orchids have no crease and vary in color from almost purple to nearly white. Inside the pouch, the patterns vary also – from stripes to spots and speckles.
Most have a single bloom poised above each leafy a stem, although some have two blooms per stem, and rarely we find three blooms!
Tucked in among these Showy Lady Slippers are other kinds of orchids that require either fen or bog habitats. This year, because the Eshqua Bog was not open until recently, we were too late to experience the yellow lady slippers, but we did catch sight of a few Platanthera huronensis- the green bog orchid. It grows on a straight stem with little leaves and tiny bug-like flowers.
In the nearby Plainfield Sanctuary NH (across the CT. River), Epipactis helleboris – the Bastard Helleborine, are just beginning to show buds. It is a European transplant happily naturalized in disturbed areas throughout the northeast.Its common name reflects its tenacity.Maybe it will be in full flower next week! Stay tuned.
My most favorite discovery this month is the tiny pinky-white Pogonia ophioglossoides- the Rose Pogonia –found growing on the floating sphagnum islands in a vast bog in Sandwich NH. The pale pink flowers appear to have a yellow beard and a tattered lip.
- https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/cypripedium_acaule.shtml
- https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mnap/about/cypripedium.htm
Learn More
This is a fun link for some interesting ‘facts’ about orchids, https://orchidmania-pk.blogspot.com/2011/11/aphrodisiacs-and-orchidology.html?fbclid=IwAR0X23suR5GFAhisdxdMQ7rrBPgSIwW-EC-BQK9lQD5gh29po_HIRqWUHVg
To learn about the pollinators of these orchids, (this is pollinator week) try www.plantipedia.com.
For more about fens and bogs here is a good link https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflow…/…/California_Fens/what.shtml.
For more about our New England Natives check out the Native Plant Trust’s web site https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/
and for plant id their GoBotany site is excellent https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org
I’m really enjoying their online courses too.