First Orchids of the Year

The orchids are once again emerging, with a number of species currently in bloom across Ontario. I haven't spent a lot of time in good orchid areas recently, but have still seen a couple of species.

Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis) is found in rich hardwood forests and is one of the very first orchids to start blooming.

The Lady's Slippers (Cypripedium) are probably the most familiar wild orchids to most Ontarians. This is Small Yellow Lady's Slipper (C. parviflorum var. makasin). These ones were growing on the side of a ditch right along the roadside! A surprising diversity of orchids can be found growing in ditches from time to time. If you look closely, the top two blooms look very crowded. This is the rare case where two flowers grow from a single stem. The second photo shows this more clearly.