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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
One of my favorite finds in the Columbia Gorge, the Calypso Orchid, or Fairy Slipper. Every year I look for these lovely small flowers of the forest. If you're not looking for them they're hard to spot growing in the dark under the tall fir trees. They're not very tall 2-3 inches only, and very difficult to capture the true "to the eye" color of them.
Lady slipper orchid is a beautiful wildflower with simple stems arising from 5-20 cm from an ovoid corm. The stems are reddish and smooth (not haired). A ovate-elliptic to oblong-ovate leaf from 3-6 cm long and parallel veined may be found at ground level, attached to the top of the corm. The long slender petiole is about as long as the leaf blade. This leaf is produced in the fall and persists to the spring before withering after bloom in the summer.
The single flower is about 2.5 cm long and has a slight fragrance. The 3 sepals and 2 petals are similar in appearance, spreading to ascending, measuring about 15-22 mm long with a lanceolate shape and magenta coloration. The 3rd petal or lip is descending somewhat longer and wider than the other flower parts. It is usually about 10 mm wide, whitish to yellowish or reddish-purple with numerous brownish-purple dots.
The lady slipper should be enjoyed in the forest without picking it. Thoughtless people who do pick it often end up taking the corm with them by accident, which then destroys the plant!
I've not been able to quite capture their true beauty, although I keep trying. I think I need a larger DOF as I can't seem to get the whole thing in focus, but this is my contribution towards the "perfect" photo of one of them, perhaps sometime in the future I'll achieve that goal! |
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- Janice
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3337 W: 144 N: 5637]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(16707) - [2007-04-17 5:15]
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Hi wonderful to seeing them growing in the wild like this Lori. Well taken, super colours and composition.
TFS, and how are you?
Janice
