Tipularia discolor (Crane-fly orchid) leaves

Yesterday, we went for a long walk in a nearby park. This park (Cleveland Park) is located in downtown Greenville, South Carolina. I've seen Crane-fly orchid leaves in several places within the park, but I've never seen dense groups of plants like the one pictured above. There were several large groups with a short distance of each other.

I'll have to remember this site, so I can check it for flowers this summer. When these plants bloom, the leaves will have withered and will leave no visual sign of the plant. Each of these 2-inch (5 cm) leaves is a single plant capable of producing a flower scape of sixty or more flowers.

To learn more about this orchid and see pitcures of the flowers, visit my blog: www.jfowlerphotography.com/.