With the sun higher in the sky as the day approached noon, it was time to head into the woods and continue the search for more orchids. Along the way I spotted another plant that I didn’t know existed in Minnesota, Indian Paintbrush. While they are not orchids, they’re still amazing to see. These were growing near the roadside also and were growing in two different colors – orange and yellow. Stopping near some of these I got to examine their blooms more closely and discovered how beautiful they are with the green leaves tipped in either orange or yellow hiding their little flowers from view. Realizing I had been distracted by another beautiful flower, it was time to search for these orchids I came to find.

Talking with a local DNR employee earlier, he pointed me to a few locations to begin my search. Arriving at the first one I stepped out of the vehicle, grabbed the camera, and disappeared in the woods. Within a few minutes I came across some markings placed by other people and saw the little leaves they led to. It was the Calypso orchids holding their seed pods high above them. Unfortunately the blooms were done but it was still fun to find an orchid I had not seen before. If they were not marked I’m not sure I would have found them. Their single leaves are so small and grow very close to the ground. Once I spotted these I looked around and saw several others in the area. It must be beautiful in this place when they’re blooming.

While looking around at these Calypso’s, I began to slowly move forward a short distance when I spotted something else that appeared to be an orchid right as my foot was nearing the ground. Quickly shifting my direction, I almost lost my balance but managed to stay upright while avoiding stepping on this plant. Bending over to look closer, I realized it was another orchid. The flower stalk was growing but the flowers had not opened yet. I took a few pictures and continued exploring for more of these. After a little while I came across one of these orchids with the blooms open allowing me to get pictures of its blooms. Examining the flowers made me almost positive it was Platanthera hookeri. Eventually I confirmed that ID and added another new orchid to my found list. Slowly meandering through the woods I came across a few additional orchids past their bloom time. One was the early coral root which at first I thought was Corallorhiza odontorhiza. Further research confirmed that would be the Autumn coral root and what I actually found was the seed head of early coral root. Several of these were found in a few locations last year. The other new orchid was the Ram’s Head Ladyslipper. This was the one orchid at the top of my list to spot on this trip. Unfortunately the blooms were all done so there were just leaves and seed pods to see for this year. Another trip during their bloom period is in order. What a successful day of orchid hunting find 3 orchids I’ve never seen before! Now it was time to get some food.

I’d heard about. I’ve even ready about it. But I was still completely surprised to be driving down a road and see the roadside exploding with beautiful ladyslipper orchids. In a portion of Northern Minnesota they grow as though a common weed. There were places these ordinarily rare hardy orchids would number in the hundreds. While these weren’t the orchids I was here to see, they were very impressive. The timing couldn’t have been better as they were in peak bloom. Having attempted on multiple occasions to grow this hardy orchid in my own yard without success, I now understood why I had such difficulties. They were never provided enough sunlight and water. With this newly understood knowledge, I’m ready to give it another try. It would be well worth it as beautiful as these orchids are. These conditions could never be duplicated in my yard so enjoying this environment was a must. I never got used to seeing these just growing by the roadside in many areas I traveled.

Often I stopped to get out and admire these beautiful plants and would notice other orchids mixed in with the Showy Ladyslippers. Occasionally the large yellow flowered cypripedium would be seen still in bloom. These usually are in flower a little earlier than the showy so I didn’t really expect to see them with such nice blooms and was pleasantly surprised from time to time. Another benefit of taking the time to walk along the road to inspect these wild orchids was to enjoy their subtle fragrance. I enjoy this nice, sweet scent but you have to get somewhat close to the flowers to smell it which can be an issue in their habitat. Often times they are growing in very wet places and this place has had above average rains at this point in the summer making it a bit more challenging to get near the blooms.

Slowly moving along the road, I caught the sight of another Cypripedium flower peaking out from the dense vegetation. It was the small yellow ladyslipper. Another orchid I expected to be done blooming by this time but here it was with some plants still in flower. Being certain this was a different species was a little challenging as it didn’t appear there was much difference between the large and small yellow ladyslipper. Coloration, size of bloom, and the tendrils provided hints that this was a third hardy orchid to be seen on this adventure. It was all so fun to find and worth battling the thousands of mosquitoes that also thrive in such habitat. While I was enjoying these ladyslippers, these were all orchids I’ve seen before and weren’t adding new ones to my list of Minnesota hardy orchids found. My count was still at 1 for this year.

While driving to another area where more types of native orchids were supposed to be growing, I came across a variation of the Showy Ladyslipper I haven’t seen before. An all white form. It was a matter of luck since it blended in so well with the numerous other Showy’s growing along the road while driving by. It didn’t add any new orchids to my list but was still fun to see. Unfortunately there was an area of loose dirt nearby which I suspect was someone digging out and poaching one of these more unusual protected orchids. They can be found for sale at several orchid growers which is the legal method of obtaining hardy orchids. The morning was beginning to turn towards noon and I had not seen any new orchids yet but what a nice start to my native orchid hunting adventure.

With a goal to find 6 orchid species I had never seen before I headed to Northwestern Minnesota. Earlier in the spring I found one orchid, the Showy Orchis. Now to find five more. Daylight was just beginning to show in the morning sky. The summer solstice had come and gone the day before announcing a new summer season full of promise for native orchids. My car was packed the day before so all I needed to do was take a quick shower and load a few essential items along with my frozen food to begin another week long adventure. It was 4:30 am as I left the driveway for the 6+ hour drive which would end near the Minnesota – Canada border. Almost an hour later the sun began to fill the morning sky with a beautiful display of oranges, pinks, and purples. What a fantastic beginning to this journey!

While I continued to drive North, the sun climbed above the trees revealing a beautiful foggy morning landscape. This didn’t last very long as the fog dissipated quickly under the warm summer sun. There’s just something about a mysterious fog hovering above the ground that brings a smile to my face. What may be hiding in the mist that will be soon revealed as these clouds disappear? Over the next few hours the daylight grew bringing light to every corner I could see with the occasional deer grazing in a field off to the side of the road. As I got closer to my destination, Showy Ladyslippers began appearing near the roadside. Sometimes by the hundreds. I’ve seen pictures of this and read about it but that didn’t come close to seeing this for myself. Here are orchids growing like weeds in this area while they remain a specimen plant in most areas. Eventually I made it to my first stop along the way – Big Bog State Rec Area. And what adorned the entrance? Of course Showy Ladyslippers. Bogs are an eco system I’ve not seen before. Or at least realized I was seeing one. A bog provides a different sort of mystery with it. This place has a mile long bog walk so people can explore the area without getting wet and also destroying the plant life. As I walked along watching the forest transition to small black spruce trees surrounded by moss growing everywhere, I was hoping to see a Dragon’s Mouth, a Rose Pogonia orchid or pitcher plant but nothing.

Finally one of the clumps of living moss captured my attention. I think it was more the lichens growing on what seemed to be soil that caused me to pause along the boardwalk and kneel down for a closer look. As I studied these for a minute or two I spotted a small, interesting plant not far away. Immediately I recognized it as Sundew, another of Minnesota’s carnivorous plants. I needed to look a couple of times at this plant and its surroundings to finally believe that it what it really was. I was not expecting to see this plant here. Nor was I expecting it to be so small. Each leaf was only the size of a single chocolate M&M covered in tentacles each with a sticky sap at the end. The overall size of a single plant was equivalent to a small Lodge Pole pine cone. They are such interesting plants with a clear drop glistening at the end of each red hair. Once I spotted one, it was amazing how many more were growing in the green moss all around.

As I continued to inspect this little micro landscape I noticed several red berries which seemed to just grow out of the moss. Eventually this was identified as a bog cranberry and those were last years fruit. Nearby, this year’s flowers had just emerged to create next years fruit. I could see more and more fascinating pieces all growing together to make a bog. But still no orchids or pitcher plants. I continued to walk further into the bog when I finally spotted one. These beautiful red leaves emerging from the moss in the form of a pitcher full of water. Their colors and patterns combined to create a plant more interesting than much of its surroundings and contrasted beautifully with the moss growing around it. The further I walked, the more of them I began to see. It was such a treat. By this point the mosquitoes where making their presence well known. Occasionally after swatting one, I would carefully drop into a pitcher for the plant to consume. A bit of satisfaction for these irritating pests. I wished I could be there when these pitcher plants were in bloom. From pictures I’d seen the blooms where quite amazing and unique.

Studying a few of these fun plants, I turned around and saw what I didn’t expect to see. Pitcher plants in bloom. My research indicated they bloomed about a month earlier so I would not have the opportunity to see them on this trip. These dark burgundy blooms stood high above the moss covered ground showing off these beautiful petals. Scanning over the bog near the end of this walkway revealed blooming pitcher plants dotting the area. I could have stayed here for quite a bit longer photographing and studying the bog further but I had a mile long walk to get back and it was time to eat. Getting back to my vehicle, I grabbed a sandwich and an apple before continuing north to what would be my campsite for the night and base for the pending orchid hunt, Hayes Lake State Park. Stopping at Big Bog was definitely worth a few hours to begin this adventure!