Jim Fowler's photos with the keyword: 14-54mm

The last of the Zion National Park images. We parked in the lot just before the 1-mile tunnel and took a narrow trail to a fabulous overlook. It was a nice hike to a great spot! I knew this was an orchid, but since it was no longer in bloom, I had to think about just which one it was. The surrounding landscape was quite dry, but there was a cracked layer in this cliff face that was allowing water to seep through -- a perfect place for this orchid species...

These are just a bit early this year, but apparently all of the wild orchids are blooming early in our area. This particular one has a way to go, judging by the buds that remain, and it will be pretty for another week or so. Those green things in the background are Yelow Pitcher Plants ( Sarracenia flava ). They grow wild along the Carolina coastal plain...

On a recent trip to southeastern North Carolina, we saw many orchids and other wildflowers. A group of us met in the Green Swamp Preserve -- a rich, diverse, wild area managed by The Nature Conservancy. This is a roadside meadow that is mowed a couple of times each year. I appreciate the DOT employees that chose not to mow this partcular part while the orchids were coming up.

On a recent trip to southeastern North Carolina, we saw many orchids and other wildflowers. A group of us met in the Green Swamp Preserve -- a rich, diverse, wild area managed by The Nature Conservancy. This is a roadside meadow that is mowed a couple of times each year. I appreciate the DOT employees that chose not to mow this partcular part while the orchids were coming up.

These beauties are located on the limbs of live oak trees in the church yard of St. James Santee Church in Charleston County, SC. I didn't bring a ladder with me this time, so you will have to settle for seeing them at a distance. They were about fifteen to twenty feet from the ground... Recently, I made a day trip down to the Francis Marion National Forest which is located in Berkeley and Charleston Counties of South Carolina. It covers about 250,000 acres and contains some of the best longleaf pine forests in the southeast. It is a prime location for native orchids, both terrestrial and epiphytic. My hope was to locate and photograph both Platanthera cristata and Epidendrum magnoliae -- two orchid species found along the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

I made a day trip to the Francis Marion National Forest to check out a possible new orchid site. Didn't find any there, but I did visist a couple of my reliable orchid sites where I found the early, Calopogon barbatus orchid in bloom.

Since we went out last weekend to check on the timing of the lady's-slipper bloom, they have had time to open and put on a show for us. There aren't quite as many, this year, but what's there is beautiful. These were found on the property of Eva Chandler Heritage Preserve in northern Greenville County, South Carolina.

Since we went out last weekend to check on the timing of the lady's-slipper bloom, they have had time to open and put on a show for us. There aren't quite as many, this year, but what's there is beautiful. These were found on the property of Eva Chandler Heritage Preserve in northern Greenville County, South Carolina.

Since we went out last weekend to check on the timing of the lady's-slipper bloom, they have had time to open and put on a show for us. There aren't quite as many, this year, but what's there is beautiful. These were found on the propert of Eva Chandler Heritage Preserve in northern Greenville County, South Carolina.

This is a native terrestrial orchid which is found along the eastern portion of the United States. Sometimes one or more of the flowers in a group of Pink Lady's-slipper Orchids will be lighter in color than the rest. This is one of those...

This is a native terrestrial orchid which is found along the eastern portion of the United States. A pair of Pink Lady's-slipper Orchids showing the hairy, leathery leaves.

This is a native terrestrial orchid which is found along the eastern portion of the United States. A pair of Pink Lady's-slipper Orchids that are naturally "facing" each other.

This is a native terrestrial orchid which is found along the eastern portion of the United States. Here is a pair of Pink Lady's-slipper Orchids showing the color variation that is often seen. The darker flower is more mature than the lighter one which has just unfurled its petals.

OK, I'll bet you're tired of seeing Pink Lady's-slipper Orchids, so this is the last one I'll be posting this year. The orginal idea for the trip was to check out the Yellow Lady's-slipper Orchids along the Raven Cliff Falls trail in upper Greenville County, South Carolina, but they were all bloomed out. Two weeks ago would have been a perfect time, but I wasn't there... :-((