Columbia Hybrid Lady's Slipper

If this were founding growing alone it would probably be identified as the Yellow Lady's Slipper, Cypripedium parviflorum, though the pale color of the lip would be confusing. Growing as it does in a mix of plants that include flowers with white lips and dark yellow lips, it is clear that this is the natural hybrid of the white-lipped Mountain Lady's Slipper and the Yellow Lady's Slipper.

The Mountain Lady's Slipper is fairly common in Washington, but the Yellow Lady's Slipper is very rare, though common further north in British Columbia. It is likely that none of the plants in this population is a pure species but that they are all hybrids. It is good, though, to find at least some indication that the Yellow Lady's Slipper is still around in the state, though it is classified as endangered.

We visited this site on the same day as last year but found very few plants and only a couple still in bloom, though enough to get some decent photos. The early spring and lack of winter snow in the mountains seem to have affected these plants as well as so many others. We'll have to go back next year to see how the population is doing. In the meantime this was our twelfth orchid species of the year.