Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Venus'-slipper

Well, when I woke up (late) this morning, to my great surprise, the sun was shining! The forecast was for yet another rainy day (this is our second week of almost endless rain). I made a quick decision to drive to the mountains after lunch. I had wondered whether I'd be brave enough to drive to Brown-Lowery Park so that I could see if I'd be able to find the rare Calypso Orchids that a few of us had seen recently. A website commented that after a lot of rain, one of the gravel roads leading there was not good to travel on, so rather than risk getting stuck in soft ruts out in the middle of "nowhere", I went to plan B. I also have a phobia of driving and of getting lost, which I have managed to overcome to a certain degree, and this was the main reason I chickened out. So, instead, I drove out along the Elbow Falls Trail road and had a walk at Maclean Pond, which I always enjoy. To my joy, I discovered some of the rare Calypso Orchids growing there! Half way through my forest walk, the sky clouded over and it began to rain : ). This flower is also known as Venus'-slipper.

I took this photo of a very small Calypso Orchid about a year ago, at Maclean Pond, Kananaskis. Haven't been getting very good photos of them so far this spring/summer, so thought I'd post this one that is a little better. Summer??? Today, we have had snow, rain and hail - oh, and a brief period when the sun actually came out, LOL.

A beautiful Calypso Orchid seen in the forest at Maclean Pond, off Elbow Falls Trail (Highway 66), Kananaskis, way back in early June. I can never get the whole flower in focus - tends to be the striped part that comes out sharp, but I think that's my favourite part anyway, because of the texture and pattern. It has a definite glisten to it : ) Reminds me of something, but I can't think what. I know, a glass slipper : )

One of the small Calypso Orchids that were growing in the forest at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park recently. It is also known as Venus'-slipper. This was the first year I had been lucky enough to see them.

My descriptions for these four photos have disappeared for some strange reason, so will write them again. Yesterday, five of us squeezed into one car and went to Brown-Lowery Provincial Park for the afternoon. Our weather included torrential rain, thunder, lightning, hail and even a bit of snow in some areas, LOL!! We brave souls still had such a great walk through the dense forest there, and I was thrilled to see my very first wild Calypso Orchid! The light was atrocious deep within the woods, so I ended up deleting most of my 93 photos : ). Will post this really bad image, and hopefully I will sometime get the chance to go back there when the sun is shining. These small Orchids are very dainty and fragile and such a pretty colour. We were lucky enough to see a Three-toed Woodpecker there and also a Varied Thrush (which I saw more as a dark silhouette moving in the distant trees). I have longed to see a Varied Thrush the last few years, so it was a thrill just knowing that there was one there. Thanks, David, for finding my very first one!