Western Fairy Slipper

These are Western Fairy Slippers, one of the first orchids to bloom in our area. This one is found from the east coast of Canada and the USA as far as the Cascades, while the other variety is found only west of the Rockies. In the photo the flower in back is nearly finished though they had just started blooming at the location in which I found them. It was raining there, too, and I came back to the car cold and chilled.