Reprinted from Summit Daily: Get Wild
We are fortunate in Summit County that, because of the huge range in elevation, we get to see an amazingly diverse collection of wildflowers.
Species that grow in open meadows get a lot of attention, but our forests contain a very nice collection of orchids. The climate here is somewhat dry in summer, but there is adequate moisture to support nine orchid species. They are generally small, making them hard to spot, but some species are large. Never pick or disturb these flowers, and be careful as you take a closer look or move in for a photo as they generally grow in groups.
An orchid is any member of the Orchidaceae family, which has about 27,000 species. The distinguishing feature of this family is its reproductive mechanism, as the male and female parts — stamen and pistil, respectively — are housed close to each other in the column, which is the central part of the flower.
Our orchids generally bloom during the height of flower season, late June to the end of July. An exception is the calypso orchid, which comes out in early June and is usually gone by the beginning of July.
The most famous, and arguably the most attractive, is the aforementioned calypso, also known as fairy slippers (Calypso bulbosa). Their color is a striking magenta, with bright yellow hairs and spurs. In a large group there is often a pure white one. These grow in quite dry forested areas.
Clustered lady slippers (Cypripedium fasciculatum) have a similar name, but are quite different. They are rare and, like calypso, can appear in dry forest up to 11,000 feet. The flowers are brown and large.
Hooded ladies’ tresses (Spiranthes romanzoffiana) are somewhat common. The plant is large, all-white, with many blooms on a single stalk. As with all orchids, a close examination reveals the classic orchid shape.
In wet areas that have fields of pink elephant heads, one often finds many bog orchids (Platanthera dilatata). These are white, and can be mistaken for white elephant heads, which do exist but are rare. These are the most common orchids in Summit County.
Green bog orchids (Platanthera aquilonis) are similar to bog orchids, but they are green and smaller.
The next two, early coralroot (Trifida corallorhiza) and heart-leaved twayblade (Listera cordata), are not rare, but they are difficult to spot. They are found in wet areas, typically not far from flowing streams. When you are crossing one of the many wooden bridges over our water features, look off to the side, and chances are good you will spot one of these orchids. Once one develops the habit of checking out stream banks, one regularly finds these, as well as other interesting flowers. That said, the trifida seems fairly rare.
Spotted coralroot (Corallorhiza maculata) grows in seemingly random spots in dry forest terrain. It is very different from the others, as it is a parasitic mushroom-like plant. It has no green parts whatsoever and gets its nutrients from fungi. The flowers are small, but worth a close look as the lip has colorful purple dots. The flowers grow on a single stalk that can rise to a height of a foot.
Finally, there is rattlesnake plantain (Goodyera oblongifolia). The leaves are quite distinctive; their veining resembles snakeskin. My first sighting of one with a flower was only last August.
For more information on native Colorado orchids, there is a great article by Scott F. Smith in which he discusses 25 varieties of Colorado orchids. The 48-page survey is in the North American Orchid Journal.
“Get Wild” publishes on Fridays in the Summit Daily News. Stan Wagon is an enthusiastic flower hunter and photographer in Summit County’s forests and mountains. He is founding editor of Ultrarunning magazine and has been in “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” for his square-wheel bicycle, an idea that recently led to the construction of a prize-winning new bridge in London. Stan lives above Silverthorne and has over a hundred flower pictures and descriptions on his web page.
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