Isotria medeoloides - Small Whorled Pogonia

[kentuckiense]

If there's anything harder to find than this orchid, it's someone who knows where it is and is willing to tell you. Luckily, I got to go out this afternoon and try to hunt out more individuals in the hopes of increasing the size of a proposed preserve site. This site has dropped down to only 13 individuals... Down from 140+. Deer are the biggest threat at this site... Local development has pushed deer populations into the small pockets of woods and they then decimate the vegetation. What makes it even harder for I. medeoloides is that its fungal partner turns into a pathogen if the root system of the plant gets damaged. The plants flowered weeks ago, but I much prefer finding capsules than flowers:

The results of a relatively common occurance: double flowers

You can see the capsule from last year

Another double capsule plant

 

[Heather]

Okay, so I'm curious (nosy).
Are you in school Zach? What's your major? Is this part of work as well as passion for you?

Tell us more about yourself, if you don't mind Zach.

 

[kentuckiense]

Haha

Ok. I'll be a junior at the College of William & Mary. I'm a Biology and Environmental Science double major. I'm interested in mainly orchid conservation and taxonomy/systematics. I was out with a faculty member today looking at the Isotria population.

 

[cdub]

Glad to see you dodged the rain today Zach and found the SWP. They look good!

 

[Heather]

Haha

Ok. I'll be a junior at the College of William & Mary. I'm a Biology and Environmental Science double major. I'm interested in mainly orchid conservation and taxonomy/systematics. I was out with a faculty member today looking at the Isotria population.

Grazi!

I tried to make this my career a few months ago but apparently retail + plants does not retail plant experience make. Hmph.

 

[kentuckiense]

In the last two shots you can see tomato cages around the plants... That's basically the only thing keeping deer from chomping off the whorls.