Spring is here and so are the beautiful pink lady's slipper flowers, sometimes called lady slipper or slipper orchid. There are a member of the subfamily of five genera of orchids (family Orchidaceae). These are protected plants - so no picking these flowers.
There is a nice patch in my backyard hillside with 14 flowers, just outside of the fence so the boys cannot trample them. I have watched for a few weeks now to see when they will bloom and have not been disappointed. There are several leaves that are without flowers, perhaps they will bloom bud later as it is still early for them.
Am sharing a few photographs of these lovely, graceful and delicate flowering plants.
While found scattered in the same area in the forest or woods, most are found as singles plants, however there are often clusters of doubles, triples and I even found two clusters of six plants!
And there have been a few this year with crooked stems. This I do not understand and would appreciate any comments as to why this occurred. The stem still supports the flower although they are very close to the ground. I found these not only in my yard but also in another location in town with a hundred lady slipper plants.
Here is a cluster of five beautiful flowers in a conservation area.
This is the early stage of the bloom, the flower lip is white and will become pink with time.
A mature flower.
And here is the cluster of six plants under a tree.
A new cluster of six in the early stages of their blooms. These survived a few fallen branches. I'll have to go back to this place to see the flowers changing color.
This reminds me of six ladies dancing! Let's dance! OK, I also just heard the David Bowie song on the radio. I really like that song. Here are a few of the lyrics in case you are now humming the song, too.
Ah, ah, ah , ah, ah
Tiny little forest flowers are also pretty. They too are scattered along the forest floor.
A lovely trail and a mostly peaceful stroll looking for the lady slippers and birds. I felt a little guilty for not taking the dogs but when a large and gorgeous blue-eyed husky and a very large German shepherd were on the trail, I was glad I left them at home. They get extremely excited with large dogs on the trails and Gunnarr tries to protect us by barking furiously at them. I had errands to do and would not leave them in a car while shopping. So they stayed at home. Treats included.
And while we are still practicing social distancing, it appears the Canada geese are too!
The new normal.
Face masks at the door ready to greet visitors and to grab when going outside the home. And now that we have been allowed to experience less isolation, we need to plan for the "second surge". Let's pray that it is not as devastating as these past few months have been.
From my family to yours, please stay safe. I hope these pictures bring a smile to your face.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
There is a nice patch in my backyard hillside with 14 flowers, just outside of the fence so the boys cannot trample them. I have watched for a few weeks now to see when they will bloom and have not been disappointed. There are several leaves that are without flowers, perhaps they will bloom bud later as it is still early for them.
Am sharing a few photographs of these lovely, graceful and delicate flowering plants.
While found scattered in the same area in the forest or woods, most are found as singles plants, however there are often clusters of doubles, triples and I even found two clusters of six plants!
And there have been a few this year with crooked stems. This I do not understand and would appreciate any comments as to why this occurred. The stem still supports the flower although they are very close to the ground. I found these not only in my yard but also in another location in town with a hundred lady slipper plants.
Here is a cluster of five beautiful flowers in a conservation area.
This is the early stage of the bloom, the flower lip is white and will become pink with time.
A mature flower.
And here is the cluster of six plants under a tree.
A new cluster of six in the early stages of their blooms. These survived a few fallen branches. I'll have to go back to this place to see the flowers changing color.
This reminds me of six ladies dancing! Let's dance! OK, I also just heard the David Bowie song on the radio. I really like that song. Here are a few of the lyrics in case you are now humming the song, too.
Ah, ah, ah , ah, ah
Let's dance Put on your red shoes and dance the blues
Let's dance To the song they're playin' on the radio
Let's sway While color lights up your face
Let's sway Sway through the crowd to an empty space
Let's dance To the song they're playin' on the radio
Let's sway While color lights up your face
Let's sway Sway through the crowd to an empty space
Let's sway Under the moonlight this serious moonlight
Tiny little forest flowers are also pretty. They too are scattered along the forest floor.
A lovely trail and a mostly peaceful stroll looking for the lady slippers and birds. I felt a little guilty for not taking the dogs but when a large and gorgeous blue-eyed husky and a very large German shepherd were on the trail, I was glad I left them at home. They get extremely excited with large dogs on the trails and Gunnarr tries to protect us by barking furiously at them. I had errands to do and would not leave them in a car while shopping. So they stayed at home. Treats included.
And while we are still practicing social distancing, it appears the Canada geese are too!
The new normal.
Face masks at the door ready to greet visitors and to grab when going outside the home. And now that we have been allowed to experience less isolation, we need to plan for the "second surge". Let's pray that it is not as devastating as these past few months have been.
From my family to yours, please stay safe. I hope these pictures bring a smile to your face.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
