I have been visiting some really nice natural areas this summer. The following are some orchids that were photographed in flower in June and July of this year. The first few were taken at a bog in Chenango County. Grass pink differs from our other orchids in that the flowers are not resupinate, that is they are not inverted from twisting of the pedicel. Therefore the lip is on the top rather than on the bottom as in most other orchids.
Grass pink
White fringed orchid
(Platantheria blephariglottis)
Rose pogonia
These showy lady’s slippers were found blooming in a rich fen in Onondaga County in mid June.
Showy lady’s slipper
(Cypripedium reginae)
These hooded lady’s tresses have just started flowering at another rich fen in Onondaga County. It differs from other members of the genus in that the lateral petals are fused with the sepals into a hood.
Hooded lady’s tresses
(Spiranthes romanzoffiana)
The last plant is not an orchid but was growing with the plant above. Kalm’s lobelia is characteristic of rich fens and is named in honor of Pehr Kalm, a 17th century botanist who cataloged New World plants on behalf of Linnaeus.
Kalm’s lobelia
I’ve got a time lapse video of a Western ladies slipper blooming and going to seed if you would like to see it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxcUdTBq1j8
Comment by Chuck — December 2, 2012 @ 10:49