Was out twice recently searching for one of our state's rarest and showiest orchids. The latin name is Cypripedium reginae, loosely translated, "Queen of the Lady's Slippers." Usually called Showy Lady's Slipper, it's endangered here in Tennessee (and in much of its range).
First location yielded suitable habitat, but no sign of the plants. Second location gave better results.
You can see why this native orchid is also often called "Pink and White Lady's Slipper!" Color saturation varies, both from plant to plant and from year to year...
Was fortunate to have good light on the visit to this population, and also plenty of moisture (just after a rain, still nice and cloudy).
In fact, this queenly orchid only thrives where it's quite soggy, only in very specific soil conditions, and only under certain tree species. It is so rare because it is so "picky" about habitat, and because it is very slow to spread.
Showy Lady's Slipper is noticeably taller than the more common Pink species, and also much more likely to have several blooms per plant.
This population is located on protected land, so hopefully will thrive for years to come!
Hope you enjoyed these views of our "queen," and that you will share your comments and critique!
Originally posted by First Poster 
Similar Threads 
