The intrepid orchid hunters

I was home on the island last month and had a couple of occasions to do a little bit of orchid hunting. I was very happy to discover a few patches of calypso orchids, especially since I have missed them in bloom the last couple of years. I hadn't actually seen any in bloom since May 2007 before I moved away! So it was a real treat to discover some.

The first one I found was a solitary bloom which was truly a true gift. It was hiding under a tree in a meadow on the Glenora River trail.




Later in the week I went for a short hike at Mill Hill with my sister and nephews and came across a number of calypso patches and one spotted coralroot (Corallorhiza maculata).







In other wild orchid news, this weekend in southern Ontario it's the Bruce Peninsula Orchid Festival. I'm heading to the Bruce next weekend so hopefully I won't be too late to catch the yellow ladyslippers in bloom since I was too late to see them last summer. Fingers crossed! And maybe I can try and find the elusive white calypsos up on the Bruce!