To Be or Not to Be an Orchid
Jay Davis
September 9, 2022
A few weeks ago, while leading a birdwalk at the Columns Drive unit of CRNRA, Nancy, a participant on the walk, began pointing out a few wildflowers. She commented on a nice stand of Spotted Horsemint, then mentioned an unusual orchid that she had found nearby a few days earlier.
This orchid has an interesting life cycle, Nancy said. Here’s the way I remember it: The orchid has one or a few leaves, right on the ground, green on top, maroon on the bottom side, throughout the winter. Then in the spring, the leaves die and a single thin spire shoots up and tiny orchids appear on the spire. She vaguely described the spot where she had seen this orchid. However, by the time we got to the spot, I had forgotten, probably distracted by something boring like a family of four Blue-headed Grosbeaks.
I therefore spent the next three afternoons wandering around the trails near the area I thought she had described, but never found the orchid. But the pump was primed.
Fast forward a couple weeks to my visit to Lake Winfield Scott with Franca & Charlie. I took an early morning walk around the lake on my first morning and I noticed a tiny orchid on a single spire with no leaves. Could this be it?
All excited, I went back to the same spot a bit later with Franca to make some closer observations, including with my clip-on iPhone macro lens. It wasn’t until reviewing the photos that I realized the spire has leaves! So, not my target orchid.
In fact, it appears to be a tick-trefoil, family Fabaceae, of which there are twelve species in my wildflower book. I might be able to get a little closer, perhaps narrow it down to two or three species, but in order to identify the species I probably need to pay attention to some fine details such as the hairs on the stem. So that’s that for now.**
Franca & I did come across a splashy orchid on our walk, which I later identified — with the help of Charlie — as Orange Fringed Orchid (Platanthera ciliaris or Habenaria ciliaris). Note the leaves which sort of wrap around the stem in the last photo. That was an important detail for identification (“leaves sessile-clasping”).
On my last day in the mountains, I stopped by Mountain Crossings at Neels Gap and hiked a short way up the Appalachian Trail in the northbound direction. I came upon this weird flower. It is White Baneberry or Doll’s Eyes (Actaea pachypoda). Perfect.
** By the way, the orchid Nancy described is Cranefly Orchid (Tipularia discolor), which is absolutely nothing like the flower I found. Anyway, I’ll be on the lookout for it!