Lesser Yellow Lady's Slipper

Lesser Yellow Lady's Slipper
Cypripedium parviflorum

Back by popular demand (someone told me they liked my blog), I am going to do a Plant A Week.  In 2014, I did a Plant A Day, but that sucked up my whole year, so this time I'm only going to do one per week.

For the first one, I chose Lesser Yellow Lady's Slipper since it's a beautiful plant.  I'm not sure if the plants that I shot are truly wild or were planted there a long time ago since it's a small group in an area nearby and I don't know of any others anywhere around here.  I won't say where these are since there is a tendency among some people to collect them for gardens, as well as a number of other orchid species.  That's a shame since they add an unexpected beauty to a walk when you spot them.

These pretty flowers grow in woodlands, although with not too much shade.

Lady's Slippers are in the Orchid family, and the genus, Cypripedium, is represented by four species in Indiana.  All four can be hard to find.  The rarity is due in part to collectors so if you find some, don't broadcast their location.

An interesting aspect of this genus is that they have no nectar, yet are pollinated by insects.  They are basically so showy and inviting that insects will go into them looking for a treat, but then find none and move on to the next flower.  To be even more efficient, the flower structure is such that the insects have to squeeze under the stigma and then the anthers to get out, thus collecting pollen on the way out, and then rubbing it onto the stigma of the next flower.  The next time I see these flowers in bloom, I'll try to get a picture of insects doing this.

Note that the leaves look somewhat like Solomon's Seal, but are
different enough to be able to identify the plant when the flowers are absent.