Going up

   

A nice orchid from a coastal grassland in Mendocino County on 11 September 2022.  I think this one is Hooded Ladies' Tresses (Spiranthes romanzoffiana).  You can also see this species along the Pomo Canyon Trail or the Kortum Trail.

August elegance

 

What a nice surprise!  When I returned to my office this afternoon, there was a small note on my desk letting me know that a local orchid was in bloom nearby.  So I made a quick stop on my way to the post office, and there it was!  Coast Piperia (Piperia elegans) in Bodega Bay on 14 August 2019.

Mike also alerted me to this beautiful flower back in 2013.  So here are a few more photos from that time:  "Thanks" on 29 July 2013.

Thanks again, Mike!

 

Land of contrasts

  

The Cedars (near Cazadero) is a land of contrasts — extremely dry and rocky cliffs along with incredibly clear creeks and pools:

 

Below are examples of two orchids that grow along the stream banks.

California Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium californicum):

 

 

The amazing leaves of Purple-leaf Stream Orchids (Epipactis gigantea f. rubrifolia):

 

 

I'm so glad so many people have worked so hard to protect this beautiful landscape.

Slippers and streams

Okay, back to The Cedars.  I don't have much time tonight, but here are two wildflowers that I think you'll enjoy.

 

California Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium californicum).  The Cedars is one of the southern-most sites for this wonderful orchid associated with habitats like seeps, moist slopes, streambanks, bogs, and fens.

 

For my relatives and friends in New England — this species is similar to a Pink Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium acaule), but the showy part of the flower (i.e., the white lower lip) is much smaller.  In the California Lady's Slipper, the lip ranges from ~15-20 mm (~3/4 inch) long...while in the Pink Lady's Slipper it ranges from ~30-67 mm (~1-2.5 inches) long.

 

And here's another wildflower highlight:

 

Purple-leaf Stream Orchids (Epipactis gigantea f. rubrifolia) were just starting to flower.  Although this species of orchid occurs elsewhere in the state, The Cedars is apparently the only place where the purple-leaved variety grows.

 

This next picture makes me wish I was Alice in Wonderland so I could become very small and then crawl right in to start exploring!

 

 

It's easy not being green

 

How about an orchid to start your day?

Striped Coralroot (Corallorhiza striata), photographed from the North Sonoma Mountain Trail on 7 March 2015.

I only had time for a couple of quick shots, but here are two more for the record.

 

No doubt you've noticed the red and white stripes, but also note the lack of green, as this plant does not photosynthesize.  Striped Coralroot is a myco-heterotroph — it obtains its nutrients by parasitizing fungi.

 

 

This orchid flowers between February and July, so you have plenty of time to catch up with it this year.  Watch for it emerging from the leaf litter of shaded woodlands.

Thanks

 

The white and green flowers of the Coast Piperia (Piperia elegans), one of two orchids found on Bodega Head, photographed on 28 July 2013.

These pictures are thanks to Peter, from whom I first learned that orchids grew here...and David and Mike, who have continued to remind me that this species was just about ready to bloom.  Thank you!

Here's a view of the entire inflorescence, magically emerging from the earth.