(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
The Showy Orchis (galearis spectabilis) are one of my favorite spring wildflowers. Every time I see a cluster of them, I have to stop and photograph them. I first saw some showy orchis in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2008. Each year since then, I’ve gone looking for them, and had a wonderful time photographing.
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
This year, I photographed Showy Orchis on the Little River Trail, Porter’s Creek Trail and Cove Hardwood Trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville.
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
Showy Orchis are perennial members of the Orchid Family (Orchidaceae). They are native to the United States, found in every state east of the Mississippi River except for Florida. West of the Mississippi River, they can be found as far west as Nebraska, as far north as Minnesota and as far south as Arkansas. They are also native to the three easternmost Canadian provinces. Showy Orchis as listed as endangered in Maine and Rhode Island, threatened in Michigan and New Hampshire and Exploitably Vulnerable in New York.
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
Showy Orchises grow in clusters. The plants are usually between 4 and 8 inches tall. The have between 6 and 15 white and pink/purple flowers. The flowers have a distinctive white lower lip and spur with pink/purple petals and sepals. The flowers are between 3/4″ and 1 1/4″ tall. Each plant has two green leaves. They bloom in April in the south and May/June in the north.
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
Showy Orchis prefer in partial shade with rich moist woodland soil. In the Smokies, I’ve found them along the sides of the trails in wooded areas.
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
The only other name I’ve come across for Showy Orchises is Preacher in a Pulpit – which was used in the nineteenth century in Pennsylvania. I haven’t been able to identify any known medicinal or practical uses for Showy Orchis.
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
OK – so I went a little overboard with all the photos in this post. What can I say – Showy Orchis is one of my favorite spring wildflowers !
If you’d like more information about Showy Orchis, you may want to visit the following sites
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
NC State University Wildflowers
The Native Ferns and Floras of the United States
Thanks for the info and photos on the Showy Orchises. Really neat colors. I can see why they are your favorite.