Saturday, June 26, 2010

Three Shady Characters



Yesterday, in our enthusiasm for photographing the Mountain Lady Slipper, we trampled on lots of Western Dog Violet before we realized they were there. This can also happen with the beautiful Lemmon's Wild Ginger which is often seen as a ground cover of overlapping, large, heart-shaped leaves. One can easily walk through a patch of these without realizing they are in bloom as the flowers are close to the ground and bloom beneath the leaves, seldom seen without pushing leaves aside. Last, the amazing Spotted Coral Root. From a short distance away, they can look dead and are often confused with the more common Pine Drops. The Coral Root, however, is an orchid. and a closer look is rewarded by an intricate flower. Click on the image above for a closer view. These three were difficult to photograph without artificial lighting as they are denizens of the dark, shady places in our forest.

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