Grass Pink, Calapogon tuberosus, in bogGrass Pink (11K GIF file)
Grass Pink, Calapogon tuberosus, in bog
Grass Pink (11K GIF file)
Calopogon has an interesting strategy for transferring their pollen mass (pollina) to the back of a carpenter bee. The flower is upside-down compared to most orchids. On top it has its lip on the bottom the column with the pollina and stigma. The lip is hinged. The flower attracts bees with yellow yellow "false" stamens on the top of the lip.
The flower looks like native a rose that's lost a few petals. A good food source for a bee!
The bee sees the false stigmas and lands on the lip.
Calopogon's interesting strategy for pollination involves use the weight of the bee to swing the hinged lip forward so the bee ends up with it's back on the column. The bee's hairy back may pick up the sticky pollina from the column. Or the bee's back may transfer pollina from previous encounters with Calopogon to the stigma on the columna. Some neat trick!
The bee saw the false stigmas and landed on the lip.
The lip's hinge gives way and the bee falls backwards on to the column picking up or transfering the true pollen, the pollina, from its back.
Another common orchid in flower is Ragged Fringed Orchid, Platanthera lacera. I have a number of these blooming in my south sloping lawn over the septic system's tile bed. They're really difficult to see until their spikes of white flowers open. You might have these orchids too if your lawn is in a semi-natural state. The trick is avoid mowing the lawn!
Cypripedium reginae, the Showy Lady Slipper
Cypripedium reginae 12K GIF File
Nova Scotia's most impressive orchid, the Showy Lady Slipper, Cypripedium reginae blooms in July. We only have a few isolated populations in Intervale fens and bogs. Enjoy them where the are and leave them alone. Even experts have trouble growing this species. Photographers love to take pictures of this one. But be careful with your feet. You may be stepping on young plants!
The Canadian Orchid Congress has a fine video on Purdon Fen - a conservation site outside of Ottawa, Ontario where there are hundreds of Showy Lady Slippers.
Cypripedium calceolus will have finished blooming this month. In Nova Scotia it seems to only occur in calcium rich soils where gypsum rock outcroppings occur. In Nova Scotia they can be seen in the Wolfville area and parts of North into Cape Breton. It tends to persist longest in shady forest areas.
It grows where gypsum rock reaches the surface.
Other orchids you may see in bloom this month:
A good source of information on native orchids is the Orchids of Wisconsin page. Information on the native orchids of Wisconsin USA is applicable to Nova Scotia's native orchids. Another source is information on the native orchids of Michigan.
The Canadian Orchid Congress is currently trying to document with slides the different native orchids of Canada and their habitat. Contact Marilyn Light 009211@acadvm1.ottawa.ca
Native North American Orchid Discussion List
You can look at last month's page on Orchids in Bloom in Nova Scotia this Month.
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Contact Steve Saunders
To leave a comment for the person who maintains this file, e-mail osns@ns.sympatico.ca
