It's the beginning of the end! I went up to state route 10 where it intersects with state route 8 near piseco lake yesterday. It's been too hot, and it's usually nice and cool up there and some thunderstorms had helped to cool things off even more so I felt like a road trip today. Immediately on the right after turning right, there was one form of spiranthes cernua just starting to flower on the side bank. Since it is moist this year, the cernua that grows right down in the ditch is emerging so will add to the spray of flowers on both sides of the road. Down about 1.7 miles south of the intersection there is a spot that had been cleaned out many years ago for snowmobile parking and other dot activities. The scraped areas are perfect for spiranthes casei in the open areas and side banks that are drier, and the ditch and seep areas are perfect for spiranthes cernua and liparis loeselii (loesel's twayblade), both of which there can be many of. Yesterday (8/17), this was the state of the s. casei:
..
..
the picture on the left shows the area where the nicest spiranthes casei reside. a few feet down from this east-facing bank from the trees is where the tallest plants with the most flowers grow. they get decent early-day sun but stay cool enough so that the flowers don't burn. the picture on the right is deceiving, in that the plant pictured is actually nearly a foot tall! that's pretty tall for a spiranthes casei
..
..
shot showing the area with the nicest or tallest casei. this zone closer to the ditch also holds many spiranthes cernua and tons of liparis loeselii. across the road to the east there can be many casei as well. the first opening on the left often has the earliest casei, which are mostly in flower now, but are usually quite short and often the flowers will have brown burns on them. this area usually doesn't get mowed. the further left area which is thinner between the woods and road often has a good number of nice casei but sometimes gets mowed this time of year. the right side also can get mowed but sometimes plants further up don't get mowed.
if anyone were interested in checking out this area and gave me notice, I could survey the area the day before to make sure it hadn't been mowed before they came to visit. a week or a little less might be the best time to visit this area
... I say the beginning of the end, because when the first spiranthes cernua start to flower on route 10, it is just a matter of time until the frosts come and zip the last of the native orchids
. up here and down near rome, ny, there will be spiranthes cernua in larger form and a bit later there will be spiranthes ochroleuca, then lots and lots of snow...... ....... .........
the picture on the left shows the area where the nicest spiranthes casei reside. a few feet down from this east-facing bank from the trees is where the tallest plants with the most flowers grow. they get decent early-day sun but stay cool enough so that the flowers don't burn. the picture on the right is deceiving, in that the plant pictured is actually nearly a foot tall! that's pretty tall for a spiranthes casei
shot showing the area with the nicest or tallest casei. this zone closer to the ditch also holds many spiranthes cernua and tons of liparis loeselii. across the road to the east there can be many casei as well. the first opening on the left often has the earliest casei, which are mostly in flower now, but are usually quite short and often the flowers will have brown burns on them. this area usually doesn't get mowed. the further left area which is thinner between the woods and road often has a good number of nice casei but sometimes gets mowed this time of year. the right side also can get mowed but sometimes plants further up don't get mowed.
if anyone were interested in checking out this area and gave me notice, I could survey the area the day before to make sure it hadn't been mowed before they came to visit. a week or a little less might be the best time to visit this area
... I say the beginning of the end, because when the first spiranthes cernua start to flower on route 10, it is just a matter of time until the frosts come and zip the last of the native orchids
. up here and down near rome, ny, there will be spiranthes cernua in larger form and a bit later there will be spiranthes ochroleuca, then lots and lots of snow...... ....... .........
