Western NH Bog Tour…
Showy Lady Slipper
The phenology of wildflowers has been a bit off this year, a fact that became quite evident today as I toured around some bogs around western New Hampshire and eastern Vermont. The showy lady slippers, which have a target date around the 26th, were just about done blooming this morning. Most of the few remaining had brown spots, which limited the flowers we could shoot to about four, down from the few hundred blooms that had passed in this fen. In fact, the bog orchids were already going strong, and the Joe Pye Asters were nearing bloom. So early! Next year…
After checking out the showy’s, we checked out the Philbrick-Cricenti Bog in New London, which is rumored to have a nice colony of grass pink orchids. I’d never visited this bog, and was not disappointed. Flowers were everywhere, but the light was getting harsh.
Orchids Around the Boardwalk
In exploring, we found some great color in the peat lands, plenty of orchids, and way to much wind. I’ll try to return in better light within a week to improve upon these…
Colors in the Peatland
Until then…enjoy some more orchids from various wetlands this morning!
Grass Pink Orchid
Green Bog Orchid
White Bog Orchid
Close-up of White Bog Orchid
Jim,
Awesome shots…as usual. I’ve never seen a Showy Lady Slipper before or even knew they existed. They look beautiful. The Orchid shots are great too. I had a question regarding the Grass Pink Orchid. How large in diameter do the petals span? From the picture, it looks like the flower itself could be very small. Again, great work!
Karl
Karl, the flowers are typically between one to two inches across, and the whole plant is rarely over a foot high. That being said, they are usually taller than the surrounding plants in the bog community, and really stand out in color as well!