Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis

The Calypsos (Calypso bulbosa) or Fairy Slippers are the first of our native orchids to bloom and they are in bloom one again! My wife and I went to Washington Park in Anacortes Monday to see and photograph the Fawn Lilies (Erythronium oregonum) but learned from a friend that the Fairy Slippers were also in bloom, quite early for them. We found them well into their bloom season and spent the day photographing them and the other wildflowers for which the park is famous. This is the Western Fairy Slipper, easily distinguished from the eastern variety by the white beard and brown-spotted lip.