Although the spring ephemerals are all but gone now, I like to believe the end of one good thing is the beginning of another. Mid-May to early August is orchid season in Appalachia, and a number of temperate varieties are as ostentatious and dramatic as their tropical cousins. One of the first orchids out of the gate in this area is pink lady's slipper (Cypripedium acaule), also known as moccasin flower. This showy perennial monocot is currently at peak bloom at Coopers Rock State Forest. The photos above are from a hike on Scott Run Trail this past Sunday.
From top: American cancer-root (Conopholis americana), a fully parasitic plant that attaches to the roots of oak trees; whorled wild yam (Dioscorea quaternata), also known as fourleaf yam, a twining, herbaceous vine with a long history of medicinal use by Native Americans and herbalists; perfoliate bellwort (Uvularia perfoliata); a sylphlike perennial that is for me the loveliest of all the bellworts in our local woods; deerberry (Vaccinium stamineum), whose large fruits are much sought after by local wildlife, including white-tailed deer; one of the last wood anemones (Anemone quinquefolia) still in bloom along the trail; and pink lady’s slipper orchid, whose bulbous pink flower is a highly-evolved bee lure and trap that aids in pollination.