Orchids and other Spring Wildflowers in the Carolina mountains — 2015-05-08

It is becoming quite apparent to me that the climatic temperatures are increasing, at least in our area. I say this because almost all of the wildflowers I’ve photographed in the past couple of years or so have bloomed anywhere from one week to as many as three weeks earlier than “normal”. For example, Cypripedium acule or Pink Lady’s-slipper orchid is not usually in peak bloom until Mother’s Day which is in mid-May. Many of the orchids in the population I photographed today were well past peak. This goes as well for the Aplectrum hyemale or Puttyroot orchids I photographed which I didn’t expect to see in flower until mid-May — they were in full bloom today!

However, there were enough nice Pink Lady’s-slipper orchids to photograph in the one population I visited, and they exhibited a wide variation in color from very light pink to a deeper, dusky rose:

I saw one flower, in particular (shown below), that I just could not find a camera position where I could get a dark background, so I went with what I had. It turns out to be somewhat of a silhouette of the flower’s profile. I think I like it…

I did manage to capture a couple of shots of the entire plant in flower:

If you look closely at the images, you can see pine cones and pine needles in those two shots. That’s not surprising, since Pink Lady’s-slipper orchids prefer a very acidic soil — one that is easily found under around the pine trees in the preserve. In fact, I always tell those looking for this orchid species, just look under almost any grove of pines in the Carolina foothills and mountains, and you will find, more likely than not, these orchids in season.

Along the edge of the road bordering the woods where the orchids are growing, there are many large shrubs with clusters of white or pink flowers. These are Kalmia latifolia or Mountain Laurel. Farther up the mountain, these are still in bud, but down at lower altitudes, they show their snowy clusters even in the dark woods:

Upon close inspection, you can see that the stamens of each flower are held curled back and under tension in tiny pockets in the flower petals. When a pollinator such as bee enters the flower, it releases the tension of the stamens which spring forward and load pollen on the back and sides of the pollinator. When it visits the next flower, the pollen is available to fertilize the ovary, completing the pollination process. You can see this process in action if you stick a finger into the flower, causing the stamens to spring against your finger. It’s a neat process to study.

I was packing my camera gear in order to proceed up the road a bit, when I noticed a strange pattern on a small maple tree. Turns out that this is an Eyespot gall on the leaf of a Acer rubrum or Red Maple caused by a Vasates quadripedes mites Acericecis ocellaris midge — a small fly that resembles a mosquito. The colors of the galls are quite striking and easy to spot (pun intended) at about eye (pun intended) level:

After photographing the Eyespot gall, I proceeded up Hwy. 276 to the spot where I photographed the Aplectrum hyemale or Puttyroot orchid in spike a few weeks ago (below left). Today, it was in full bloom (below right)! It does not take much time for the flower stem to grow out of the protecting sheath and produce those lovely orchid flowers:

As it typical with this species, the leaf begins to wither at anthesis (bloom time). Here are a few more shots of the Puttyroot orchid flowers I saw:

Continuing up Hwy. 276, I reached the summit of the escarpment at Caesar’s Head State Park. While I was getting my camera gear out of the truck, I saw an old friend and Park Ranger, Tim Lee. It was good to have a conversation with him about our native orchids. He has an eagle-eye, and never fails to miss these beauties when they bloom in his administrative areas. I had noticed a very large Magnolia fraseri or Fraser Magnolia just across the road from the parking lot, and we talked at length about the different species of native Magnolias in South Carolina. This particular tree must have been close to 75 feet (23 meters) tall, and it was covered with large, cream-colored flowers. What is special about this species is that the flowers are huge — up to 10-12 inches (25-30 cm) across! And the leaves are huge as well — up to 18 inches (45 cm) long! The one factor that makes an identification of this species so easy is the presence of large lobes or auricles at the base of each leaf. Other similar native Magnolias do not exhibit this feature. In early spring, the flower open just as the leaves begin to sprout forth, and it continues to produce new flowers for another month or two.

Here is a map of the range of Magnolia fraseri that I lifted from Wikipedia. As you can see, it has a very restricted range and just barely comes into South Carolina:

At the edge of the parking lot, was a split-rail fence virtually covered by a species of native honeysuckle called Lonicera sempervirens or Coral honeysuckle. In the shaded woods where it tends to grow, it does not produce as many flowers as were present along the fence rail. However, in bright sunlight, the red tubular flowers were spectacular! They also provide a snack for hummingbirds. This red border was quite the sight:

It was time to head back home, but I had to stop to photograph a 12-foot (3.5 meter) tall native Rhododendron calendulaceum or Flame azalea. Its bright, yellow-orange flowers glowed with stunning beauty beside the road. This is truly one of our loveliest flowering shrubs. It has been used in the horticulture arena for many years and for good reason:

As you can imagine, the trip back “down the mountain” was a pleasure with my dreaming of all the beauty I had managed to photograph in just a few hours. And, it was so close to home. I’m betting that many of you, dear readers, have such natural wonders within a few hour’s drive from your homes. Do yourself a favor and take advantage of this natural beauty. Dust off that local wildflower field guide you have on the shelf, and get the blood pumping in your veins again. Take a hike into the woods and experience the beauty of nature… You won’t regret it!

–Jim