Stream Orchid

Known as the Stream Orchid because it always grows near water, or Chatterbox because of its hinged, moveable lip, Epipactis gigantea is rare elsewhere in Washington, but grows by the thousands in the area we visited on our recent trip. It is the only native Epipactis species in North America, though there is one other species that has naturalized across the United States and Canada. The photos were taken on the first day of our trip amid a cloud of mosquitoes and in a very wet and swampy location.