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| Pink lady's slipper orchids, Cypripedium acaule, bloom in the New Jersey Pine Barrens from early May to mid-June. That's now! Here are a few I saw on May 18th. Click to enlarge. |
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| They are also called moccasin flowers. |
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| They grow in association with a fungus that enables germination and provides nutrients to the plant. Once the plant is established it returns the favor by providing nutrients to the fungus. |
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| Individual plants can live for 20 years and longer in the wild. Once you find some, you can visit the same spot every spring to see them. |
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| The lady's slipper flower smells good to bees and the big pouch has a slit in the front that allows a bee to enter. Once inside, hairs direct the bee to an upper exit that requires squeezing past a pollen mass. Tricky! |
Hi Julie, I just found your blog and am really enjoying it! The very first pink lady's slipper I saw here in CT I found in a state park, on the side of a trail, about 10 years ago. I went to visit that one lone flower every spring for a few years. One year, the plant was entirely gone. Whether someone took it or not, I don't know, but I so enjoyed the excitement of going out to find it.
ReplyDeleteHi and thanks. Orchid hunting is so much more exciting that in sounds! I already look forward to visiting these spots next year.
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