Striped Coralroot (Corallorhiza striata var. striata)

I took some time yesterday afternoon to make a brief excursion to the Chuckanut Mountains south of Bellingham to see and photograph a couple of native orchids whose location had been given me by Upupa4me, a friend here on Flickr, and who is an expert at finding and photographing native wildflowers. Upupa4me's wonderful photostream can be seen at: www.flickr.com/photos/40650891@N02/.

Coralroots are leafless saprophytic orchids that have no chlorophyll and that obtain their nourishment by feeding off fungi in the soil. There are five species native to Washington and several distinctive varieties of these species. This plant was photographed along the Interurban Trail near Larrabee State Park in the Chuckanuts.