Showy Lady's Slippers at Cedar Bog!

My previously promised series on my time in the Adirondacks of upstate New York are in the works and will be arriving this week.  I just wanted to take this time to get a quick public service announcement out there to all interested parties that the showy lady's slippers (Cypripedium reginae) are nearing peak bloom at Cedar Bog now! I wrote about them in much greater detail last year in a post that can be found right here.   I was too busy to publish the post before/during their flowering period last year and wanted to correct that this time around!

Showy Lady's Slipper Orchid - Cypripedium reginae)

If you've never seen these beauties in person before, I couldn't recommend some time spent with them more.  It's worth the drive from any corner of Ohio to see our largest and arguably "showiest" orchid in perfect bloom.  Your blogger was there earlier last week to do a census count on the population; something that had apparently never been done and I was more than happy to take the time to do so.  The final count was almost 500 flowering plants.  That's almost 500 gorgeous reasons to get in your car and make the drive to Cedar Bog sometime this week.  There's plenty more to see than just these so make sure to walk all around the boardwalk trail and see what other fascinating plants and habitats it has in store.

Just please be sure to remain on the boardwalk at all times; each year it seems to get worse with trampled "livestock" paths off the boardwalk to the best clumps of these orchids.  These rare plants take up to a decade or more to reach flowering maturing and can live for decades more as they grow into larger, double-flowered specimens.  No one wants to see all that time and potential lost because of our own over-eager attempts to see them closer and more personally.  So if you have telephoto lenses or good zooms on your camera utilize them and not your feet!

Cedar Bog is located near Urbana, Ohio in Champaign county.  You can check out their website for directions and more information here: http://www.cedarbognp.org/.

Snow Trillium and Big Trees at Fort Hill

What a difference a year can make!  The calendar officially says spring but the current weather patterns claim otherwise with rain, snow, and below-average temperatures.  This time last year I was sweating in 80 degree heat looking at a whole slew of wildflowers that shouldn't have been up and blooming in late March.  Definitely not this year!  However, unless my eyes deceived me, I do believe the emergence of a few of my wildflower cohorts this past weekend was proof enough spring is indeed upon us.  This annual event is truly a joyous occasion worth celebrating as the brown drabs of winter are pierced with the first vivid greens of new growth.  Soon the world will be flooded with the faces of old friends I haven't seen in a year's time and not a moment too soon.

One of the most anticipated of spring's arrivals here in Ohio is that of the charmingly dainty snow trillium (Trillium nivale).  Your blogger decided to head out this past weekend to check on the progress of these tiny wonders at a few southern stations in Adams and Highland counties along with any other early spring bloomers that may be braving the cold.  Quite serendipitously, I happened to bump into good friend and brilliant botanist Dan Boone during my foray and was fortunate enough to spend the day hiking through one of southern Ohio's finest natural areas in his company.

Old woods in Fort Hill state memorial

Located in the unglaciated foothills of southern Highland county, Fort Hill is home to many unusual and rare plant species along with relic earthworks of the antiquated Hopewell culture.  Wandering through its mature, contiguous forests will reward the adventurous with a diverse array of ancient and impressive trees scattered throughout the steep slopes and weathered limestone gorge.

Dan standing among the quiet giants

While any time of the year is a can't miss experience, I've found winter and early spring to be the best times to soak in the intrinsic beauty and stately dimensions of any old-growth forest.  Free of their leaves and hidden canopies, the tree's gnarled forms can be fully observed and one can get a grasp on just how unique and individualized each leviathan specimen is.

Cranefly orchid over-wintering leaf

Puttyroot orchid over-wintering leaf

Believe it or not winter can also be a very helpful time to locate a few of Ohio's native orchid species.  Hiding in scattered patches among the detritus throughout the moist lower slopes of Fort Hill were the over-wintering leaves of cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor) and puttyroot (Aplectum hyemale).  Both send up their leaves in the autumn to persist all winter, utilizing the tree's naked conditions to better soak up the plentiful rays of the sun.  It makes perfect sense to do its photosynthesizing during the less competitive winter months than during the growing season when shade and darkened under story conditions make it much more difficult.

'Evergreen' basal leaves of the downy rattlesnake-plantain orchid

Quite similar to the cranefly and puttyroot orchids strategy is that of the evergreen basal leaves of the downy rattlesnake plantain orchid (Goodyera pubescens).  Arguably our most common species of orchid in the state, it's not hard to come across some in the more dry and acidic areas of upland oak and pine forests.

Limestone gorge of Baker Fork 

Dan and I opted for the gorge trail with high hopes of finding the snow trillium in bloom along with the peculiar pollen cones of the Canada yew (Taxus canadensis) that precariously clings to the edges of the limestone bluffs along Baker Fork.  It's not just interesting flora that calls this stretch of the gorge home but also a handful of Ohio's natural rock arches carved out of the erosion-resistant Peebles dolomite.

Snow trillium (Trillium nivale) beginning to bloom

It wasn't long after entering the gorge before the miniscule tri-leaved plants of the snow trillium and their delicate unfurling petals began to dot the ground.  Few things warm my heart and soul like the spring's first wildflowers that face the frosty March mornings and greet my eyes that have starved for color through the patience of winter.

Snow trillium (Trillium nivale)

Snow trillium (Trillium nivale)

It seems appropriate that one of the very first wildflowers to break the thawing soil every year also shares the distinction of being one of your blogger's most highly anticipated and personal favorites.  Snow trillium are quite uncommon throughout Ohio and their largely Midwest and Great Lakes region distribution.  They can most frequently be found growing on the slopes and terraces along streams and rivers over shallow, gravely soil derived of limestone; especially in areas with exposed cliffs, bluffs, and ridges.

A quarter next to a snow trillium to emphasize their small stature

If any doubt remains in the minds of those who aren't sure what exactly constitutes as small in the trillium world, I think this picture will speak for itself.  No photoshop gimmicks or hijinks here!  The snow trillium really are that modestly-sized.  Hard to believe something so runty can withstand the cold and potentially harsh weather of such an early bloom time (especially this year) but survive and thrive they do!

Walter's violet (Viola walteri) basal leaves

Barren strawberry's over-wintering leaves

While scanning the area for blooming snow trillium, several other promising signs of spring could be seen popping up from underneath the decomposing leaf litter.  The greening basal leaves of the state-threatened Walter's violet (Viola walteri) happen to enjoy the thin, calcareous soils much like the snow trillium and will soon be adorned with their charming periwinkle blue flowers in a month's time.  Scattered about as well were the over-wintering leaves of the barren strawberry (Waldsteinia fragarioides), a native relative to our commercialized strawberry but much, much less satisfying and tasty.

View down the gorge valley of Baker Fork at Fort Hill

After some much deserved camera time with the lovely snow trillium it was time for the more daring aspect of our hike.  Growing quite perilously on the edges and cliff faces of the limestone bluffs above the stream were scatterings of our native yew that Dan and I wanted to inspect for their flowering pollen cones.  Unfortunately, the strong deer presence in the area limits the growth of these plants to their aforementioned parlous growing locations as Canada yew happens to be one of white-tailed deer's favorite browsing items.  Rarely do you find any in good enough shape where the deer can easily access it.

Canada yew's unopened pollen cones

Dan taking a closer look

Ah, close but no cigar, as we discovered the pollen cones to still be ever-so-slightly closed and just a warm snap's away from opening.  You can just make out the tiny, bb-like pollen cones occurring in the needle's axils of last year's woody growth.  Yew is a very common hedge shrub used in cultivation with their conspicuous autumn-time red 'berries' (called arils in botany-speak) but those are of introduced species and not Ohio's native taxon.

Greening leaves of Carex platyphylla

Dan and an old-growth blackgum tree

The continuation of our hike saw Dan and I start to scale the higher slopes of the gorge in an effort to connect with the rim trail at the top that circles around the old remains of the Hopewell earthworks.  I quickly realized the winter had significantly softened me up as my lungs and calves felt on fire as I trudged up and up and up out of the deep valley.  Luckily, the forest was full of old-growth tree specimens worth admiring and thus getting a subsequent breather.

Dan admiring the weathered remains of an American chestnut stump

One of the most intriguing aspects to the forests of Fort Hill would hardly be noticed by the casual hiker or passerby.  All throughout the upper slows and ridges of the woods were the remains of fallen logs and stumps belonging to American chestnuts (Castanea dentata) that met their fate many decades ago during the height of the blight invasion.  Extremely weather and rot-resistant, it wasn't too hard to pick out which trees were of chestnut origin.  It's such a shame to think of the billions of vitally-important mast crop trees we lost to mankind's own devices of world travel and trade.  What I wouldn't do for a time machine to travel back to the famed and storied pre-blight forests with trees over 100' tall and six to eight feet in diameter!

Dan and a mighty red oak

Dan with an impressive pignut hickory

Impressive old-growth examples of various oaks and hickories; beech; tuliptree; blackgum; ash; and sugar maple abounded that were amazing sights for sore eyes.  I understand the need and importance of lumbering and logging but for every tree we cut down, we remove its possibility of growing to such a mesmerizing size. If I had my way, I would leave many stretches of forest logging-free to allow them to mature and eventually wow future generations of hikers and appreciators at their splendor and size.  I'm incredibly thankful Fort Hill is immune from chainsaws and logging trucks.  It would be a travesty for Ohio to lose such a great natural treasure!

One helluva tuliptree!

Looking into the canopy of the mighty tuliptree

The cherry on top of the Fort Hill sundae and our climb to the top of the ridge for me was the mighty tuliptree that has graced this preserve for well over a century.  I've seen many other enormous examples of tuliptrees in other woods and natural areas but I never tire of their grandeur and timeless beauty.  There's just something to be admired and appreciated for the luck and time involved for these specimens to reach such majestic dimensions and proportions.

Looking into the next week's forecast it doesn't look like the temperatures and weather will improve much but when it does be assured I will be out in force to bring you as much of Ohio's spring as I can!  It's been a long, cold, and wet winter and the warm sunshine and lovely wildflowers certainly can't get here soon enough!

The Showy Lady's Slippers of Cedar Bog

Cedar Bog.  Few places in the Midwest, let alone Ohio, have as much botanical wonder, biodiversity, and history stored inside than the white cedar swamp forests, fen sedge meadows, and tall grass prairie habitat here.  Owned and operated by the Ohio Historical Society since 1942, it was the first Ohio nature preserve to be purchased with state monies and is on the national natural landmarks register to boot.  Located in south-central Champagin county, Cedar Bog currently preserves well over 400 acres of original habitat and is home to nearly 100 rare species of flora and fauna.  It's a good thing this gem was saved and preserved because Ohio's intact, naturally-occurring wetlands are a very rare thing today.  Around 90% of Ohio's wetlands no longer exist and are gone forever. From over 5,000,000 acres pre-settlement to just a tiny fraction of that in under 300 years is depressing but that's what makes places like Cedar Bog so precious and vital to our biodiversity.  If you want a fact to really drive the nail home on our wetland habitat loss: California is the only state that has lost a larger percentage of its original wetlands than Ohio.  Click this link here for more on the matter.

Don't be fooled by the name however.  Cedar Bog is not a bog but in fact a fen.  What's the difference?  Bogs are non-flowing acidic environments associated with accumulated masses of sphagnum moss while fens have internal flowing groundwater that seeps to the surface and is usually rich in magnesium and calcium, making for a neutral to alkaline environment.  Just remember "fens flow"!

View out across the fen sedge meadow of Cedar Bog

When the early pioneers first started to settle the Mad River valley they found countless tracts of wet, marly fields and meadows full of mosquitoes and curious plants that didn't make for good farm land.  Quickly and with prejudice, the land was drained and transformed to support their agricultural ways while the natural landscape slipped into memory.  The 450+ acres Cedar Bog currently preserves was once a fen complex over 7,000 acres in size.  Imagine 7,000 acres of pristine fen habitat choked full of fascinating flora, massasauga rattlesnakes, spotted turtles, swamp metalmarks, and indigenous brook trout.  I can't fault the settlers for their lack of foresight or preservation but what a sight that must have been.

The Mad River valley was host to a seemingly infinite supply of fen complexes and wetland habitat pre-settlement that served as a reminder to the area's icy past.  Over 12,000 years ago as the Wisconsin glacier receded to the north it left behind a barren landscape of melted ice, glacial till, and boreal plant species from the northern climates.  The previous period's ancient river valleys were filled with gravel and saturated with melt water, which today comprises west-central Ohio's natural aquifers.  In spots where this cold, calcareous groundwater percolates and bubbles to the surface is where these incredible fen communities persisted for thousands of years after the glaciers left, leaving behind the plants and animals you won't see anywhere else in the state today.

Mature male Five-lined Skink (Eumeces fasciatus) on the boardwalk.

Okay, enough of the history lesson even if I could go on and on.  Fens and their histories and biological communities fascinate me to no end and I could blab about them forever!  Now on to the main event and that magical word 'orchid' in the title that probably nabbed your attention.  But not before I share a quick tidbit about one of Cedar Bog's most frequently seen animals.  Pictured above is a critter I'm willing to guarantee just about everyone sees on their stroll down the boardwalk.  Five-lined skinks love to sun themselves on the warm wood and then go scurrying off as your footsteps approach.  Good luck trying to catch one, these guys move like lightning!  Juveniles start off black with five yellowish lines down their backs and tails of the most gorgeous electric blue you've ever seen.  The specimen above is a mature male with its copper-colored body and red face.

Orchids, orchids...I know, I know.  So without testing your patience any further I give you North America's largest terrestrial species of orchid.  An orchid that stole my heart many years ago along these very same creaky boardwalk planks and has yet to release me from its grasp.

Showy Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium reginae)

Scattered along the margins of the northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) of which Cedar Bog gets its name, lies one of the greatest botanical shows Ohio puts on each early June.  The showy lady's slipper (Cypripedium reginae) is the largest and last of the slipper orchids to bloom and mother nature certainly knows how to save the best for last.

An 'eat your heart out' clump of Showy Lady's Slippers (Cypripedium reginae)

This is my sixth year in a row heading to Cedar Bog to see the performance and what a spectacle they've been this time around.  While my run isn't nearly what many other local residents, botanists and orchid-lovers have going, I can say this has been the greatest year I've seen them put on in my experience and a number of  other long-time fans are voicing their agreement.  Just look at that clump above!  Nearly two dozen plants all clustered together and topping out over three feet tall under the partial shade of the cedars is a site no one is likely to forget anytime soon.

Showy Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium reginae)

Each flower's pouch or 'labellum' is about the size of a golf ball and delicately painted the most perfect shade of pastel pink to be found in nature.  Depending on what I assume to be a matter of sunlight, the labellum's pigmentation can vary greatly from soft and pale to intense and deeply saturated.  Another common name for these is the queen lady's slipper.  As the binomial nomenclature would have it, the scientific or botanical name for this species is very fitting.  The scientific epithet of reginae translates to 'queen', implicating the regal and majestic beauty of this orchid.  The lady's slippers genus name was conceived from the combination of the Greek word Kypris (for Cypris, the goddess of beauty and love) and the Latin word pedis  (meaning 'foot') as told by Michael Homoya is his brilliant book The Orchids of Indiana.

Showy Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium reginae) 

Taking a closer look at the inflorescence or 'slipper' of the showy ladies just magnifies their stimulating appeal.  I was happy to have coincidentally timed my visit on an overcast day right after a rain shower had passed through, giving all the slippers an aesthetically pleasing coating of water droplets.  Unfortunately their beauty is not lost on those who seek to remove them from their rightful homes.  Ignoring the heavy loss they have endured from habitat loss due to succession and destruction, these royal plants have long fought the hands and shovels of mankind.  The floral trade, ignorant digging for wildflower gardens and careless picking has removed these plants to the point of extirpation and extinction of populations throughout much of its range.  Even the botanist is to blame in some situations where avid over-collecting depleted their numbers to nothing.  This is one of the those plants that is best touched with our eyes only, despite the human urge to take the beauty home with us.

North American distribution of Cypripedium reginae (courtesty BONAP)

Looking at the distribution map for this species shows how strong an association it has with the northern Canadian provinces and Great Lakes region.  The further south you slip away from the lakes the more rare it becomes due to an increased lack of habitat availability.  Their preferred habitat of fens, northern swamp woods and glacial depressions aren't found further south than Ohio, hence their increase in frequency the further north you go.  Populations in the south, such as in the Appalachians, grow in circumneutral seeps in limestone regions where plants are few in number and locations.  The one vitally important thing an environment must support regardless of geographical location is what's called "cold-bottom" conditions.  These conditions exist when groundwater reaches the surface and saturates the soil to create a constant supply of cold water that this plant needs to survive.  This in turn allows these plants to exist and survive in more southern latitudes whose normal conditions would not otherwise support them.  In many cases where these plants have disappeared despite not much disturbance to the habitat is the result of a change in the hydrology.  It's not just the surface you have to worry about but what's going on underneath as well to keep these orchids happy and alive.

Showy Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium reginae)

An interesting piece of information about this particular species that will probably engage my entomologist readers and friends most is that the showy lady's slipper is apparently the only eastern Cpypripedium that is largely pollinated by flies and beetles rather than bees.  In any case, the insects are attracted inside the labellum by the promise of a nectar meal but are quickly disappointed to find it's a sham and they are forced to retreat back out the way they came.  Upon their exiting they (hopefully) pick up a package of pollen (pollinia in orchid-speak) from the column (the unique orchid organ comprised of fused stamens and pistil) and in a case of instant memory-loss, enter a new labellum in search for that mythical nectar and we have pollination!

Showy Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium reginae)

There truly are few other plants that I can sit in front of and admire their timeless grandeur for what seems like hours on end.  It's not everyday one sits in front of royalty like this and can have such close interaction with them.  A warning must be issued though to all who suffer with frequent bouts of skin irritation and dermatitis.  The dense pubescence of the leaves, stem and pedicels can cause a severe case of dermatitis much like that of poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) to those susceptible.

The incredibly early start to this year affected these plants much like the rest and saw the showy lady's slippers start blooming in late May, something I'd never seen before.  The intense heat of last week hastened the freshness of the blooms this year and the show has already passed when under normal circumstances would just be starting.  Be sure to mark late May and early June on your calender for 2013 to see these wondrous plants in action.  Don't fear, there are still many more orchid wonders Cedar Bog has in store for the future and I will be here to bring them to you when they happen!