Orchid Hike for the Cincinnati Wildflower Preservation Society

This past weekend your blogger had the pleasure of leading a hike for the Cincinnati Wildflower Preservation Society.  I've given presentations at their monthly meeting several times before but this was the first time we'd taken to the field together.  My talk for the society this past January dealt with Ohio's native orchids so it seemed appropriate to go from the projector to seeing them in person. Over 25 eager and excited participants, including quite a few familiar faces and friends joined me in the Edge of Appalachia and Shawnee State Forest region of extreme southern Ohio for quite the botanical foray.

I'd like to make specific mention of and say thanks to three special people who made the trek all the way from Ontario, Canada to spend the weekend and especially Saturday botanizing, birding, herping etc. with me.  It was a pleasure to meet and spend time with Bob Curry, Glenda Slessor and John Lamey and share the natural treasures of the Edge and Shawnee with them on Friday and Saturday. They had their sights especially set on seeing a particular orchid or two but I'll get to that later.  All in all, I think I can speak for them in saying they walked away impressed and mesmerized by southern Ohio's beauty and a strong friendship was kindled between them and myself.

Photo of the hike's participants courtesy CWPS member and treasurer, Randy Johnson

Someone must have flicked the switch for July because the week leading up to the hike and the day of was a scorcher.  Temperatures in the area reached highs near 90 and made the early May date seem like a mistake.  Thankfully, the orchids and numerous other plants seemed to take the stress in stride and largely looked great for our eyes and cameras.

Dwarf Crested Iris (Iris cristata)

Dwarf Crested Iris (Iris cristata)

Davis Memorial state nature preserve in Adams County was our first stop for the day. Its rich forest slopes and dolomite limestone rock features are home to countless spring wildflowers and several species of orchid.  The regal looking dwarf crested iris (Iris cristata) was looking especially nice in the dappled shade.

Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis)

It wasn't long before we had the first orchid on our day's list with the showy orchis (Galearis spectabilis).  Most everyone remembers their important "firsts" and the showy orchis will forever be close to my heart as the first wild orchid I ever saw in bloom.  I've seen it countless times since but I never tire of its unique appearance.  Davis Memorial proved to be a favorable spot for this species as we came across upwards of a dozen plants of varying aesthetics and stature.

Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Davis Memorial is of special geological interest as well with its exposed dolomite limestone cliffs and gorge walls.  Dolomite contains more magnesium than your average limestone, which allows for a sweeter soil composition upon weathering.  Many plants do exceptionally well in said soils and why this region of the county is known for its stupendous spring wildflower displays.  Wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) is just one species that loves to grow from the rock face's cracks and small soil accumulations.

Large Yellow Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium pubescens)

The next orchid on this most orchid-y of days was the large yellow lady's slipper (Cypripedium pubescens).  We went on to see it at several more sites but it never failed to be a showstopper, especially when in large, many-flowered clumps.

Large Yellow Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium pubescens)

Large Yellow Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium pubescens)

Most of the photos in this post I took during my scouting and personal botanizing time the day before leading the hike.  I like to take my time when engaging these remarkable, highly evolved plants and I knew that would be at a minimum during the hike.  It's also important to me I give my full attention to the questions, curiosities and concerns of my group.  For many this was the first time seeing orchids such as the large yellows, while I've been spoiled with dozens of encounters and hopefully dozens more to come.

Spring in Shawnee State Forest

I could honestly spend all day, every day in Shawnee during the spring.  There's a feel to its wild depths unlike anything else in the state. Bobcats to cerulean warblers, timber rattlesnakes or the goldenstar lily, Shawnee has it all.  There's few places better for orchids in the state either with Shawnee claiming over a dozen species throughout the year.

Pollinated and wilting large whorled pogonia (Isotria verticillata)

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, Bob, Glenda and John came all the way from Ontario with one specific orchid in mind: the large whorled pogonia (Isotria verticillata).  While relatively common in the acidic, upland oak forests of eastern unglaciated Ohio, the large whorled pogonia is excruciatingly rare in Ontario.  In fact, it's believed to be extirpated and hasn't been seen above ground in quite some time.  Unfortunately, the unseasonably hot temperatures ushered this notoriously short bloomer into flower and quickly out by the time of their arrival.  They took Mother Nature's curveball in stride though and were beyond happy to see the plant even in a wilted state.

Rose Azalea (Rhododendron prinophyllum)

It wouldn't be the peak of spring in Shawnee without the vibrant blossoms of the rose azalea (Rhododendron prinophyllum).  They litter the roadsides on the forest's higher and drier slopes in an assortment of dark and light pinks.

Pink Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium acaule)

Pink Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium acaule)

Speaking of pink colored flowers, I'd be remiss if I didn't make mention of the always exciting pink lady's slippers (Cypripedium acaule). This was a superb year for this orchid as most of my known sites had an exemplary number of flowering plants.  Each labellum or slipper looks like a big wad of chewing gum someone deposited atop a green stem to my eyes.

White-colored Pink Lady's Slipper

White-colored Pink Lady's Slipper

And then there's the case when someone is chewing peppermint flavored gum and leaves a white blob instead. I've observed this white-flowered pink lady's slipper for a handful of years running now and never get tired of its unusual charm.  I would hesitate to acknowledge this as a true case of albinism due the the dorsal/lateral sepals and column lacking the typical lime green coloration of an albino.  This seems to simply be a case of a white labellum only.

Rock Fir Moss (Huperzia porophila)

With so many pairs of eyes observing the landscape few things of interest are likely to slip past detection.  One fun item that stood out was large colonies of rock fir moss (Huperzia porophila) amassed on some steep sandstone slopes.  Lycopods to mycology, just about every aspect of our natural world is discussed and/or represented on a hike like this and makes for an educational experience for everyone involved.

Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata)

Umbrella Magnolia (Magnolia tripetala)

Other Shawnee oddities gracing our hike with their floral presence was the rare umbrella magnolia (Magnolia tripetala) and crossvine (Bignonia capreolata).  Both are plants much more common further south and just barely make it into southern Ohio.  They certainly have a southern or 'tropical' feel/look to them.  Just another feather in Shawnee's hat if you ask me!

Earlier on Friday during my solo foray, I decided to make my annual pilgrimage to a special and treasured site on the Edge of Appalachia preserve.  As incredible a site as it is, it's one that's too remote and too sensitive to bring a group of even respectful, well-mannered wildflower admirers to.

Hanging prairie on the Edge of Appalachia and one of my favorite views in the entire state

Of all the impressive views I've gazed out across in the Buckeye state, I'd have to say the one photographed above is on my very short list of the best.  This hanging prairie clings to the side of a hill; an island of rare grassland plants overlooking a rolling sea of contiguous forest.  No roads, no buildings, no people or anything to break the sounds of nature.  It's rare to get that kind of purity with no noise pollution and only adds to the splendor of the place.  Within its depths is a slew of prairie plants like scarlet paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea), prairie phlox (Phlox pilosa), hoary puccoon (Lithospermum canescens), heart-leaved golden alexanders (Zizia aptera), yellow star grass (Hypoxis hirsuta), white blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium albidum), arrow-leaved violet (Viola sagittata) and one very rare, very stunning orchid: the endangered small white lady's slipper (Cypripedium candidum).

Prairie phlox, scarlet paintbrush, hoary puccoon etc. in full, spectacular bloom

Small White Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium candidum)

Small White Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium candidum)

Scarlet Paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea)

Hanging prairie is a true slice of botanical heaven and one I can't wait to visit each early May.  It's never disappointed in the past, it didn't disappoint this time around and I don't dare doubt it will break that streak any time soon.  I could dedicate an entire post of this length to the site and perhaps I will one day.

Needless to say the hike was a resounding success and everyone involved had a helluva time immersed in southern Ohio's spring bounty of wildflowers, orchids and birds.  Leading hikes never fails to leave me physically exhausted by mentally revitalized and freshened.  It's such a fun way to share my passion and knowledge for orchids, Ohio and our natural world as a whole.  I'll be leading two additional hikes for the Cincinnati Wildflower Preservation Society later this year in August and September, respectively.  Take a look on the left side of my blog for my events section for more details.  Special thanks to the Christine Hadley for helping me put this together and for asking me to lead this hike!  I/we certainly had an amazing time!

- ALG -

Spectacular Spring Orchids

As promised, I'm here to deliver on some of the botanical treats I went searching for this past weekend during my foray into the famed and ever-mentioned Adams and Scioto counties in southern Ohio.  I've decided to dedicate this post purely to my cherished and timeless orchids I spend so much time admiring and photographing.  I've seen all the featured species on this post plenty of times but there's just something about them that draws me back in with each reawakened spring.  The anticipation and rush never wanes as I glance upon them for the first time, like old friends I only get to spend time with a handful of times a year.

Large Yellow Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium pubescens)

If I've seen the large yellow lady's slippers (Cypripedium pubescens) once, I've seen them dozens and dozens of times but that has done nothing to dull the excitement of discovery.  Their golden glow set against the shadowed greenery of its newly lush forest habitat is a sight for sore eyes after a long winter.

Trio of large yellow lady's slippers

An uncommon double-bloomed plant on the R

While not state-listed and occasionally locally common in select areas of the state, large yellow lady's slippers' numbers have dwindled in recent decades as poachers and logging activities negatively affect this slow-growing and fickle plant.  It can take upwards of a decade for these and many other orchids to reach flowering maturity and some are highly sensitive to even moderate levels of disturbance.

Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis)

Showy orchis (Galearis spectabilis) was the very first wild orchid I ever saw in flower and from that moment on it cemented itself as one of my favorites for carrying that distinction.  I tend to see this species reach its best numbers in mature mixed mesophytic woods on mesic N-NE-E facing slopes where yellow buckeye, beech, sugar maple, and tuliptree are common associates.  While I love to enjoy these orchids with my eyes only, the same cannot be said for white-tailed deer.  Showy orchis is like candy to them and observing large, impressive specimens is always a special find due to high levels of predation.

Pink Lady's Slippers (Cypripedium acaule) 

Pink lady's slippers (Cypripedium acaule) are the black sheep of Ohio's indigenous lady's slipper orchids in both habit and habitat.  All other Ohio Cypripediums have leaves occurring on their flowering stems, however pinks have a leafless scape that arises from an equally unique pair of basal leaves.  In terms of habitat preference, pinks utilize dry upland oak/pine/hemlock forests with an acidic substrate while our other species all have an affinity and/or requirement for more moist, basic-calcareous soils.

Pair of pink lady's slippers in a Virginia pine stand

Rare white-flowered form of C. acaule

The venation pattern on the front of the "slipper" or "moccasin" acts as a visual nectar guide for passing bumblebees to notice and buzz over to for an inspection.  A sweet smell hints at the promise of a reward inside but the bumblebee only finds an empty, air-filled pouch it must now back out of and hopefully pick up some granular pollen in the process.  With any luck the bumblebee will visit another flower in a vain attempt at a meal and cross-pollination/fertilization will occur.  As with many other orchids and species of wildflowers, pink lady's slippers are known to occur in rare white-colored forms as pictured above.

Spring Coralroot (Corallorhiza wisteriana)

Perhaps the least visually appealing of the early orchids, the spring coralroot (Corallorhiza wisteriana) is nonetheless charming in its own right.  If you take the time to carefully inspect each individual flower's lip you'll find a snow-white surface splotched with magenta polka dots in quite the artistic display.  This species is saprophytic and relies entirely on its relationship with mycorrhiza fungi in the soil for sustenance and cannot photosynthesize due to its complete lack of chloroplasts (hence why there's no green to it at all).

Small White Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium candidum) 

If there's any species of spring blooming orchid I look forward to the most and refuse to miss out on, it's the state-endangered and very rare small white lady's slippers (Cypripedium candidum).  These tiny wonders are only known to occur in a handful of high-quality prairie remnants in the extreme north and south parts of our state.  These particular plants are from a secluded dolomite limestone barrens in the depths of Adams county.

Small white lady's slippers with your narrators hand for scale

The word 'small' is in their common name for a reason as this lady's slippers' slipper is only about the size of the end of your thumb.  Their waxy white labellums are ringed with magenta dots and accompanied by yellowish-green dorsal and lateral sepals.  A soft but sweet fragrance is emitted from the bloom as well and gives the nose as much a reason to love them as the eyes.

Small White Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium candidum) 

Their miniscule stature takes by breath away every time I see them even though I know what to expect.  Each is so delicately designed and a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.  I could see these beauties for the next 50 years consecutively and I'd love them that much more on visit number 51.

Large Whorled Pogonia (Isotria verticillata)

Large Whorled Pogonia (Isotria verticillata)

Large whorled pogonias (Isotria verticillata) almost seem to be a floral ode to a mythical beast long lost to the past.  It appears like a dragon, ready to breathe fire and devour any prey foolish enough to come too close.  This orchid prefers more or less the same habitat conditions as the aforementioned pink lady's slippers and often times will even occur together in their acidic upland oak/pine woods.  It's common to see a population of dozens of sterile plants with (if you're lucky) one or a few blooming individuals mixed in.

Kentucky Lady's Slippers (Cypripedium kentuckiense) beginning to bud up

To end my day of plentiful orchids in peak bloom, I decided to cross the mighty Ohio River and check on a site for the rare Kentucky lady's slippers (Cypripedium kentuckiense) I've photographed and shared on this blog before. The typical eight plants were present and just beginning to bud up with one starting to get some color and open slightly.  Another week or so and they should be in peak shape and worth another visit.

Hybrid Lady's Slippers at Castalia Prairie

I'm back to follow through on my promise to bring you the last chapter of this past weekend's northwest Ohio botanical foray.  I've shared the exceptional lakeside daises and you've seen the electric display of wild lupine but I feel like I've saved the best for last.  I hinted at the topic for this concluding post and if you are even a semi-regular reader of this blog, I don't think it was too hard to surmise the subject matter would be orchids!

Castalia prairie within Resthaven Wildlife Area

Not far inland from the shores of Sandusky Bay on Lake Erie is Resthaven Wildlife Area in Erie county.  Within the 2,000+ acres of wildlife area lies Castalia prairie: an old, intact prairie remnant that has long been home to the largest population of one of Ohio's rarest plants.  The slightly mucky black soil sits over a deposit of marl and tufa (a porous variety of limestone) with upwelling groundwater that helps to keep the site moist throughout the year.  This combination of calcareous soils and alkaline groundwater is what allows this great rarity to persist and thrive in such great numbers.

Clump of small white lady's slippers (Cypripedium candidum)

That plant is none other than the state-endangered small white lady's slippers (Cypripedium candidum), which occur literally by the thousands throughout the prairie.  Early settlers wrote of coming across large swathes of grassland come mid-late May in this area of the country and the air being saturated with the sweet scent of this orchid as countless thousands bloomed in the prairies.  Those sights and smells are long gone in today's world due to habitat loss and alteration but Castalia gives as close a glimpse (and whiff) as one can get here in Ohio.

Small white lady's slippers

Very rare double-flowered specimen

It was certainly something incredible in and of itself to see so much of this dainty orchid coming into bloom and peaking their heads out of the previous year's dead growth on the ground below.  Having only seen these by the handful in select limestone barrens in extreme southern Ohio, I was speechless at their grandeur and appearance at Castalia.  However, believe it or not it wasn't the small white ladies I had specifically come to see.  No, there was something more elusive hiding among the dead grasses that my eye was anxiously hoping to catch a glimpse of.

A suspicious and odd-looking lady's slipper orchid

What I was looking for were lady's slippers with a hint of yellow to their lip and/or dark sepals that signaled the presence of crossed genes between two different species.  That's right, a hybrid lady's slipper and orchid I had wasted many an hour daydreaming of finally make acquaintances with.

Andrew's lady's slipper

Andrew's lady's slipper just waking up

It wasn't too long before I fortuned upon a particularly suspicious specimen that showed the distinct yellowish labellum and slightly darker sepals of my bounty.  Now, don't let the name fool you;  Andrew's lady's slipper (Cypripedium x andrewsii) is not named after your blogger but in honor of Edwards Andrews, the original discoverer of the hybrid.

Andrew's lady's slipper next to small white lady's slipper

Additionally, I spotted a newly opened hybrid lady's slipper growing right alongside one of its parent species, the small white lady's slipper.  Despite finding examples of orchids clearly showing a mixture of genes, I still wasn't fully satisfied and was holding out hope a better specimen would present itself.  Luckily, my good friend and eagle-eyed companion Dr. Todd Crail of the University of Toledo came through!

Excellent specimen of Andrew's lady's slipper (C.x andrewsii)

Now that's more like it!  This sole plant was easily the best one found all day and in perfect bloom to boot; a very well-timed thing as these orchids don't last long at all in prime shape and color.  Here you can see the perfect combination of its two parent's traits which I will now get into in more detail.

small white lady's slipper (L), Andrew's lady's slipper (M), small yellow lady's slipper (R) 

I quickly put together the above photo in an attempt to best show the similarities and differences found in the hybrid orchids scattered throughout the prairie opening.  On the left is one of its parents, the aforementioned small white lady's slipper; while on the right is the other parent species, the northern small yellow lady's slipper (C. parviflorum var. makasin).  With both parent species to either side it becomes more apparent and easy to see that the hybrid largely kept the white color of the small white's pouch with some very faint yellow tinging blended in.  The sepals are a much darker color hailing from the small yellow lady's slipper and overpower the more light greenish-brown sepals of the small white.

Phenomenally spotted pattern to the hybrid's labellum

What I found most attractive and noticeable about this particularly well-blended specimen was the liberal spattering of magenta dots throughout the inside, rim, and outer surface of the labellum.  There's just nothing like getting a closer look at the pouch with this kind of artistic detail; it's absolutely stunning!

Andrew's lady's slipper (C. x andrewsii)

While the small whites were just about everywhere throughout the section of Castalia, the true-blue (or should I say yellow) northern small yellow ladies (C. parviflorum var. makasin) disappeared from the prairie years ago due to what is/was believed to be a change in the hydrology of their location(s).  Present or not now, it's clear their genetics cling to existence within the previously shared photographs of Andrew's lady's slipper.  In fact, many of the small whites exhibited the ever-so-slightest traits of the small yellows somewhere on the plant.  Very few of them appeared to be pure C. candidum.

Hybrid lady's slipper

Hybrid lady's slipper

In the end, Todd and I found about a dozen or so lady's slippers that showed strong/obvious signs of crossing between the small whites and yellows out of the thousands of orchids at the site.  These pictures above came across to me as mostly C. candidum except for the clearly yellow tinge to the pouch and maybe slightly darker sepals.  

For those that enjoy the nitty-gritty taxonomy aspect to plants, this specific hybrid is called Cypripedium andrewsii var. andrewii for its cross with the small yellow lady's slipper.  This variety typically exhibits a specimen closer to the one shown just a bit above with a mostly white pouch and very dark sepals.  In other situations the small whites have been known to occur near enough some large yellow lady's slipper (C. pubescens) to create the other variety C. andrewsii var. flavillianum.  This species is less attractive than the other with larger flowers, light yellow labellum with no magenta spotting, and coffee brown sepals.

More yellowish hybrid 

Perfect Andrew's lady's slipper hybrid specimen

After spending nearly four hours in the prairie searching out and photographing these unique beauties and acquiring quite the sunburn on my forearms we decided to call it quits and make for the car.  It was a very satisfying feeling walking back knowing I had another Ohio orchid on my memory card and check marked off the list.  Of the 48 Ohio native orchids I count on my list, I have now seen 45!  Only three more to go and with any luck I should be down to just ONE at the end of this year.  It's crazy to think one of my major botanical bucket lists is nearing completion but that's hardly the end of the story.  I have my fingers crossed a book would be soon to follow; it's just getting those pesky photographs down first and then finding the time to write and plan it out.

I sincerely hope you enjoyed this late-spring swing through some of the botanical hot spots of northwestern Ohio and will tune back in soon as I continue to bring you more of the natural treasures of Ohio!