kentuckiense
Debaser
Spiranthes lacera var. gracilis
I've been trying to photograph this one all summer. My first attempt on June 30 resulted in me finding one stem with all the blooms browned. On August 16 we found a bunch in perfect bloom, but we were short on time as we were trying to make it to a Triphora trianthophora site. Finally, I was driving on Saturday on a gravel road and spotted this single individual.
windy + no tripod = subpar photos
Spiranthes ochroleuca
Photographed at Big Meadows in the Shenandoah National Park. I IDed these as Spiranthes cernua, but someone far smarter than I told me these were Spiranthes ochroleuca. I don't really see it, but I will take his word.
Same two individuals in this next photo. Note the two different patterns. One individual is four-ranked while the other is spiral.
This one looks funny. The whole S. cernua complex does a lot of weird things.
Spiranthes ovalis var. erostellata
This variety of Spiranthes ovalis is self-fertilizing and the flowers never open. These individuals were photographed at one of the only stations for this species in West Virginia. Unlike most other Spiranthes, this truly is a woodland species.
Well, it looks like that may be the end of native orchids for me for the season.
I've been trying to photograph this one all summer. My first attempt on June 30 resulted in me finding one stem with all the blooms browned. On August 16 we found a bunch in perfect bloom, but we were short on time as we were trying to make it to a Triphora trianthophora site. Finally, I was driving on Saturday on a gravel road and spotted this single individual.
windy + no tripod = subpar photos
Spiranthes ochroleuca
Photographed at Big Meadows in the Shenandoah National Park. I IDed these as Spiranthes cernua, but someone far smarter than I told me these were Spiranthes ochroleuca. I don't really see it, but I will take his word.
Same two individuals in this next photo. Note the two different patterns. One individual is four-ranked while the other is spiral.
This one looks funny. The whole S. cernua complex does a lot of weird things.
Spiranthes ovalis var. erostellata
This variety of Spiranthes ovalis is self-fertilizing and the flowers never open. These individuals were photographed at one of the only stations for this species in West Virginia. Unlike most other Spiranthes, this truly is a woodland species.
Well, it looks like that may be the end of native orchids for me for the season.