Platanthera grandiflora

P. grandiflora is distinguished from P. psycodes by of its round nectary opening. P. psycodes has a barbell-shaped nectary opening.

P. grandiflora is distinguished from P. psycodes by of its round nectary opening. P. psycodes has a barbell-shaped nectary opening.

P. grandiflora is distinguished from P. psycodes by of its round nectary opening. P. psycodes has a barbell-shaped nectary opening.

P. grandiflora is distinguished from P. psycodes by of its round nectary opening. P. psycodes has a barbell-shaped nectary opening.

This is the remainder of my loooooooong day trip to north central Georgia mountains to botanize with my friends, Alan, Steve, and Max. We spent 16 hours either on the road or in the woods in the Chattahoochee National Forest. All in all, we had a very productive day... The large and the small purple fringed orchid don't usually bloom at the same time. The large purple fringed orchid usually blooms a week to ten days ahead of the small purple fringed orchid. So I felt very lucky to find them in bloom on the same day. This particular population was growing in a seep at then end of a very long trail. Well, technically, it was not at the end of the trail, but that's where we stopped to photograph it. Alan had been there the last two years around this time of the year, but was either too early or too late to see good flowers. We were close to being early, this year, but we did have a few flowers fully open for us this time...

This is the remainder of my loooooooong day trip to north central Georgia mountains to botanize with my friends, Alan, Steve, and Max. We spent 16 hours either on the road or in the woods in the Chattahoochee National Forest. All in all, we had a very productive day... The large and the small purple fringed orchid don't usually bloom at the same time. The large purple fringed orchid usually blooms a week to ten days ahead of the small purple fringed orchid. So I felt very lucky to find them in bloom on the same day. This particular population was growing in a seep at then end of a very long trail. Well, technically, it was not at the end of the trail, but that's where we stopped to photograph it. Alan had been there the last two years around this time of the year, but was either too early or too late to see good flowers. We were close to being early, this year, but we did have a few flowers fully open for us this time...

This is the remainder of my loooooooong day trip to north central Georgia mountains to botanize with my friends, Alan, Steve, and Max. We spent 16 hours either on the road or in the woods in the Chattahoochee National Forest. All in all, we had a very productive day... The large and the small purple fringed orchid don't usually bloom at the same time. The large purple fringed orchid usually blooms a week to ten days ahead of the small purple fringed orchid. So I felt very lucky to find them in bloom on the same day. This particular population was growing in a seep at then end of a very long trail. Well, technically, it was not at the end of the trail, but that's where we stopped to photograph it. Alan had been there the last two years around this time of the year, but was either too early or too late to see good flowers. We were close to being early, this year, but we did have a few flowers fully open for us this time...

On Saturday, Alan Cressler, Walter Ezell, and I made a day trip (got home around 1:30 am) to Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina to photograph Platanthera grandiflora and Platanthera psycodes. I've never seen P. grandiflora on Mt. Mitchell, but I have seen it along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Mt. Mitchell. Usually, it blooms a week earlier than P. psycodes, but on this trip, we found a small population of six plants on the side of the highway that was in perfect bloom. I really felt fortunate, since this population is not always present, and it is not always in such great shape. The lighting was great since the plants were in subdued, morning shade. Good start to what turned out to be a wonderful day...

On Saturday, Alan Cressler, Walter Ezell, and I made a day trip (got home around 1:30 am) to Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina to photograph Platanthera grandiflora and Platanthera psycodes. I've never seen P. grandiflora on Mt. Mitchell, but I have seen it along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Mt. Mitchell. Usually, it blooms a week earlier than P. psycodes, but on this trip, we found a small population of six plants on the side of the highway that was in perfect bloom. I really felt fortunate, since this population is not always present, and it is not always in such great shape. The lighting was great since the plants were in subdued, morning shade. Good start to what turned out to be a wonderful day...

On Saturday, Alan Cressler, Walter Ezell, and I made a day trip (got home around 1:30 am) to Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina to photograph Platanthera grandiflora and Platanthera psycodes. I've never seen P. grandiflora on Mt. Mitchell, but I have seen it along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Mt. Mitchell. Usually, it blooms a week earlier than P. psycodes, but on this trip, we found a small population of six plants on the side of the highway that was in perfect bloom. I really felt fortunate, since this population is not always present, and it is not always in such great shape. The lighting was great since the plants were in subdued, morning shade. Good start to what turned out to be a wonderful day...

On Saturday, Alan Cressler, Walter Ezell, and I made a day trip (got home around 1:30 am) to Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina to photograph Platanthera grandiflora and Platanthera psycodes. I've never seen P. grandiflora on Mt. Mitchell, but I have seen it along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Mt. Mitchell. Usually, it blooms a week earlier than P. psycodes, but on this trip, we found a small population of six plants on the side of the highway that was in perfect bloom. I really felt fortunate, since this population is not always present, and it is not always in such great shape. The lighting was great since the plants were in subdued, morning shade. Good start to what turned out to be a wonderful day...

On Saturday, Alan Cressler, Walter Ezell, and I made a day trip (got home around 1:30 am) to Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina to photograph Platanthera grandiflora and Platanthera psycodes. I've never seen P. grandiflora on Mt. Mitchell, but I have seen it along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Mt. Mitchell. Usually, it blooms a week earlier than P. psycodes, but on this trip, we found a small population of six plants on the side of the highway that was in perfect bloom. I really felt fortunate, since this population is not always present, and it is not always in such great shape. The lighting was great since the plants were in subdued, morning shade. Good start to what turned out to be a wonderful day...

This day represents perhaps the most frustrating day of our orchid hunt in Newfoundland. First, because of witnessing the deliberate cutting of hay in a field protected by The Nature Conservancy of Canada; thus cutting thousands of fringed orchids in their prime, and second, not being sure of exactly which species we were seeing at the time. Most of the plants we were photographing were probably hybrids of either Platanthera psycodes or Platanthera grandiflora with Platanthera lacera . In a very few cases, it was rather "obvious" that we were seeing the pure species, but in most cases, we just could not be sure... In any case, we had a glorious day photographing these beauties. Except for the days when we saw fields full of Arethusa bulbosa by the tens of thousands, we saw more orchids in bloom at these few sites than any other day on our trip... To read more about our adventure with "tractor man" and to see additional images, please visit Jim's Blog ...

This day represents perhaps the most frustrating day of our orchid hunt in Newfoundland. First, because of witnessing the deliberate cutting of hay in a field protected by The Nature Conservancy of Canada; thus cutting thousands of fringed orchids in their prime, and second, not being sure of exactly which species we were seeing at the time. Most of the plants we were photographing were probably hybrids of either Platanthera psycodes or Platanthera grandiflora with Platanthera lacera . In a very few cases, it was rather "obvious" that we were seeing the pure species, but in most cases, we just could not be sure... In any case, we had a glorious day photographing these beauties. Except for the days when we saw fields full of Arethusa bulbosa by the tens of thousands, we saw more orchids in bloom at these few sites than any other day on our trip... To read more about our adventure with "tractor man" and to see additional images, please visit Jim's Blog ...

This day represents perhaps the most frustrating day of our orchid hunt in Newfoundland. First, because of witnessing the deliberate cutting of hay in a field protected by The Nature Conservancy of Canada; thus cutting thousands of fringed orchids in their prime, and second, not being sure of exactly which species we were seeing at the time. Most of the plants we were photographing were probably hybrids of either Platanthera psycodes or Platanthera grandiflora with Platanthera lacera . In a very few cases, it was rather "obvious" that we were seeing the pure species, but in most cases, we just could not be sure... In any case, we had a glorious day photographing these beauties. Except for the days when we saw fields full of Arethusa bulbosa by the tens of thousands, we saw more orchids in bloom at these few sites than any other day on our trip... To read more about our adventure with "tractor man" and to see additional images, please visit Jim's Blog ...

This day represents perhaps the most frustrating day of our orchid hunt in Newfoundland. First, because of witnessing the deliberate cutting of hay in a field protected by The Nature Conservancy of Canada; thus cutting thousands of fringed orchids in their prime, and second, not being sure of exactly which species we were seeing at the time. Most of the plants we were photographing were probably hybrids of either Platanthera psycodes or Platanthera grandiflora with Platanthera lacera . In a very few cases, it was rather "obvious" that we were seeing the pure species, but in most cases, we just could not be sure... In any case, we had a glorious day photographing these beauties. Except for the days when we saw fields full of Arethusa bulbosa by the tens of thousands, we saw more orchids in bloom at these few sites than any other day on our trip... To read more about our adventure with "tractor man" and to see additional images, please visit Jim's Blog ...

This day represents perhaps the most frustrating day of our orchid hunt in Newfoundland. First, because of witnessing the deliberate cutting of hay in a field protected by The Nature Conservancy of Canada; thus cutting thousands of fringed orchids in their prime, and second, not being sure of exactly which species we were seeing at the time. Most of the plants we were photographing were probably hybrids of either Platanthera psycodes or Platanthera grandiflora with Platanthera lacera . In a very few cases, it was rather "obvious" that we were seeing the pure species, but in most cases, we just could not be sure... In any case, we had a glorious day photographing these beauties. Except for the days when we saw fields full of Arethusa bulbosa by the tens of thousands, we saw more orchids in bloom at these few sites than any other day on our trip... To read more about our adventure with "tractor man" and to see additional images, please visit Jim's Blog ...

This day represents perhaps the most frustrating day of our orchid hunt in Newfoundland. First, because of witnessing the deliberate cutting of hay in a field protected by The Nature Conservancy of Canada; thus cutting thousands of fringed orchids in their prime, and second, not being sure of exactly which species we were seeing at the time. Most of the plants we were photographing were probably hybrids of either Platanthera psycodes or Platanthera grandiflora with Platanthera lacera . In a very few cases, it was rather "obvious" that we were seeing the pure species, but in most cases, we just could not be sure... In any case, we had a glorious day photographing these beauties. Except for the days when we saw fields full of Arethusa bulbosa by the tens of thousands, we saw more orchids in bloom at these few sites than any other day on our trip... To read more about our adventure with "tractor man" and to see additional images, please visit Jim's Blog ...