Agalinis tenuifolia (Slenderleaf false foxglove) + Spiranthes cernua (Nodding ladies'-tresses orchid) + Selaginella tortipila (Twisted-hair spikemoss)

Back up to one of the upstate's Heritage Preserves.

I had a few requests to show the Agalinis tenuifolia in its habitat. These are growing on a fairly steep sloping granite bald. The "soil" is just a loose accumulation of natural debris and sand in shallow depressions in the rock. Of course, this results in a very acidic environment for whatever chooses to grow there.

One of these little "islands" of botanical treasures is a six-foot by six-foot plot that is host to a dense population of Spranthes cernua. Why they are growing on this little plot and not on the other plots is beyond my pay grade to figure out. I do know that it is positioned in the course of a slight seep coming down from the woods at the top of the bald.