Ladies Slipper - Pennsylvania Orchid

Tessa HD

With growing up in the country and playing in the woods all the time, I can't believe I've never seen one of these beautiful orchids. So this was a real treat for me to see and I want others to see it too! This was taken in a proposed wilderness area of the Allegheny National Forest.



Tessa

ShepsMom

Hey Tessa! This is really interesting Orchid, i don't think i've ever seen anything like it. Very nice capture, good thing you spotted and shared with us. Did you find out name of this one?

Dee

Ah Lady Slippers
They used to grow in the woods by my childhood home, as well Indian Peace Pipes and Mayflowers. I doubt they still grow there on Long Island due to all the housing construction that has taken over the "woods" in the area.

I was lucky enough to see and photograph some at my mom's at her new house on the island, and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to photograph them again. They also bloom in yellow, but I've never seen a yellow one.

Excellent shot of the Lady Slipper too!

Tessa HD

name
As far as I can tell it's only called "Ladies Slipper". I'll probably do some more reading on them. Thanks for looking.

Tessa

Tessa HD

yellow one
Wow, I'd love to see one of those! The mayflowers are in full bloom now. They're pretty neat. I had one show up in my flower garden and I decided to leave it. It came up next to a few trilliums, also neat woods flowers.

Tessa

Dee

Moccasin Flower
Was the other name for the Pink Lady's slipper. This is from a Connecticut botanical organization. http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/galleryp.html

pink lady's-slipper
Cypripedium acaule

There seems to be as many different ways of spelling Lady Slipper or Lady's Slipper as there are varieties of colors and orchids of this type. :-)

There's also a "Showy" Lady's Slipper, which I've never seen. Our local nursery grows a different variety of these orchids. They are kept in a special wing and are not for sale. I also saw some of this variety at an orchid show in San Francisco.

Through a web search I've found out the Yellow Lady's Slipper is a different variety.

Once you start reading what's on a web there's a lot of fascinating lore about medicinal uses, etc.

It would be great if you posted some pictures of the Mayflowers too! You are indeed lucky to have these wild flowers growing so close to you. The Lady's Slipper is almost extinct and is most certainly endangered. Unfortunately they don't transplant (according to the web) and people dig them up and try to move them and they just die. I imagine it's because of the acid soil they prefer.

If you are near woods you may find some Indian Peace Pipes and some Wintergreen growing too! They make good photographic subjects too. You are lucky! Trillium -- I found some out here in California, but I don't remember seeing those when I was a child, but I could have selective memory or may not have realized that it was a flower

Tessa HD

thanks....
for the info Dee, that was interesting!

Tessa

Skippy

Tessa HD wrote:

With growing up in the country and playing in the woods all the time, I can't believe I've never seen one of these beautiful orchids. So this was a real treat for me to see and I want others to see it too! This was taken in a proposed wilderness area of the Allegheny National Forest.

Tessa

dang the pictures not showing up for me Tessa
I'll check back later when I get back from work.... Skippy

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Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh ha! I see it now
I've never seen one of those Orchards before either, they are quite unusal.
How exciting for you to come across this fine specimen ... Skippy
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