Lady’s Slipper

I confess to taking a particular delight in observing local wild orchids.

Spring started well with fairy slippers in Kokanee Creek Park. While it didn’t diminish the pleasure, I had seen them other years and so knew where to look. Today’s observations of mountain lady’s slippers were unexpected. 

Previously, the only mountain lady’s slippers I had seen around the Lake were on the East Shore, and these ones obligingly hung out with other wild orchids: yellow lady’s slippers, striped coralroots, and giant helleborines. Those gems appear on my orchid page.

But, mountain lady’s slippers on the West Arm and in Kokanee Creek Park? Apparently even seasoned local naturalists have not spotted them here before. I did not see any other orchids in the immediate vicinity.

Towering over the surrounding wildflowers, mountain lady’s slippers often have more than one flower on a stem.

The name, lady’s slipper, seems appropriate when this delicate orchid is viewed in profile.

Lovely