Recently, I went for a third time to the Hadashville bog in search of the illusive Calypso—Manitoba’s first orchid of the year. I checked my journal that I keep before I went and then I realized that calypso did appear after May 15 in some years. It all depends on the spring weather. This year had been cool, that could mean, they were taking their time to appear. Until then I feared I was too late and had missed them for the year.
After walking around for a while I notice two tiny plants without flowers that looked a lot like Calypso. Then I realized these were the buds! I had never seen Calypso before in bud. This was exciting for two reason. First, now I had seen them in bud. Secondly, this meant if I can come back again I can photograph the mature flowers. This was win/win. Though it meant one more trip. I left well satisfied after taking a couple of documentary shots. From one of the buds I could see the orchid just emerging.
As I left I could not help but stop to photograph crocuses. I saw my first crocuses this year on April 11 and now, more than a month later, on May 18, I saw them again on the south (shady) side of the road.
If the world does not give you orchids, may be it will give you crocuses. And that’s not half bad.
Chris and I went for a drive 2 days ago. We are starting to recognize again, that it might be a long time before we can travel. Even the fact that each of us has vaccines won’t change that any time soon. So it was time to get out in nature.
My goal was to drive to Birds Hill Park and see three-flowered avens. From that perspective the jaunt was a dud. There were no avens to be found. At least there were none where I drove and walked. We did see a Harrier Hawk above us, scouting its next meal.
After failing to find avens, I suggested plan B. If the world gives you lemons, make the joy of prairie crocuses. I would try to find Sunnyside Cemetery not far away. I had not been there for more than 10 years and knew it was a good place for avens. To Chris’s astonishment and my mild surprise, I found it. My memory for once worked.
It was a beautiful day for a trip to a graveyard. We found nature there. We found some fat and happy crocuses. This was surprising since just the day before this graveyard would have been covered in snow. The day we were there all the snow was gone. And there were these magnificent flowers. Can any other place compare to these gorgeous spring flowers? I think not. It was extraordinary. One day later and spring came back to life. It was resurrection in the graveyard! It was the extraordinary beauty of a Manitoba spring. Flowers were springing out of the ground like a miracle. It was resurrection day.
I spent about an hour photographing these magnificent flowers. It was the start of wildflowers in Manitoba. Life had returned to the prairies. Life was good again. It really was resurrection day.
Recently, on the one month anniversary since Chris’ hip surgery when she was doing very well the only pain she had was in her store bought knee. Not in her hip! So she encouraged me to take a day off from my manservant duties and I headed the St. Labre Road as I call it. This is my spot for one of my favorite flowers–the Low Prairie Rose (Rosa arkansana porter).
I wanted googled “Low prairie rose” and had a psychedelic experience. I found flowers by that name of the Internet. The first one I looked at was from my friend Doris Ames. The first time I ever heard about this flower was on a slide show somewhere (I have forgotten where) and Doris showed a photo by my good friend and best man at my wedding–Eugene Reimer. When I first saw that image I was smitten with it and was consumed by jealousy that my friend had photographed it and I had never seen it. It actually took me a few years to find it.
In fact today, the second image on my Internet search was by Eugene from the Native Orchid Conservation Inc. website. The third image was from my own Meanderer blog site. This felt absolutely weird. But actually it fits in with what I have been wondering about. Is there actually such a flower as Low Prairie Rose or is it just a version of the ordinary garden variety Wild Rose? After this search I was still not sure we are right, but I did find another short article on the Qu’appelle Flora website that talked about it. That is good enough for me. I have determined to my satisfaction that there is such a flower. Case closed.
Don’t tell my orchid friends but this may be my favorite flower. I love orchids, particularly wild orchids, but the Low Prairie Rose is a stunner.
I first found it in the area I was at today because Eugene had kindly told me where it could be found. Eventually thanks to his directions I found it. By now I realize it is actually quite common. Often I have found right beside the road as I did today.
Even though the flower is so exquisitely beautiful it is often found beside gravel roads covered in dust. What a shame it deserves so much better. I often like to photograph it after a rain, not just because it is so clean from the rain, but because the colors shine and sparkle. Since it does not rain often enough for this purpose, I always carry some rain in a bottle in my pocket just in case I need to give the flower a spritz. Today I needed the spritzer. I think it was worth it.
A few Years ago there was a native orchid conference held in Winnipeg which attracted orchid enthusiasts, some might say orchids nuts, from around North America and even some from Europe. I was one of them. This orchid was the star of the show– the Western Prairie fringed-orchid (Platanthera praeclara).
This is one the flowers listed on the endangered species list for Manitoba. The Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie is the best place in the world to see these orchids! This prairie contains from 750 to 24,000 flowering plants of this species each year in an area of about 2,000 hectares. It is the only place in Canada where these flowers still grow naturally. It is our treasure. Sadly, this year when I went to my favorite spot I could only find a half dozen in bloom where there should have been hundreds. I did not have time to check other spots.
The primary cause of failure to flower is late spring frosts that can kill the buds of the flowers. This does not usually destroy the plant. This may have happened this year. Fall precipitation may be linked to flowering in spring as well. The more water in fall the better the flowering in spring. Many cactuses follow a similar pattern.
In the United States this flower can be found in 7 states but only in about 500 hectare in total. In the entire US they have only about 50 to 2,000 flowering plants each year. That is a pittance compared to us. That is why so many Americans come here to see them. A few years ago there was a conference on the plant in Crookston Minnesota near their own Tall Grass Prairie but the attendees came to Manitoba to see ours. Who could blame them?
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It was interesting that the first documented occurrence of this plant in Manitoba occurred in 1985. In fact they were discovered in one day by a scientist who also discovered the Small Purple Fringed orchid at Buffalo Point where I have a cottage. It is remarkable that no one knew they were here since at the right time, like early July, they stick out gloriously in fields and ditches around here. It is surprising that such a showy plant lived so inconspicuously. How was that possible?
We should be proud that in Manitoba we have the most of these magnificent plants. They are all found within a couple of miles of the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve. Nowhere else. They can be found on the Reserve, in ditches, and on private land.
It was not that long ago when scientists thought there was only 1 species of Fringed Orchid. In 1986 a scientist Charles Sheviak realized there were 2 separate species of very similar orchids. For one, there was the Western Fringed-orchid that we have here and the smaller Eastern Prairie fringed-orchid that is found in eastern Canada. He realized that they were not pollinated the same way. Therefore they had a different pollinator and must be different species. I had the privilege of walking in the Woodridge bog with Mr. Sheviak when Manitoba hosted the first Native Orchid Conference of North America. He is like the Michael Jordan of North American orchids. Sadly, none of his greatness rubbed off on me.
This is the orchid that made me famous around the world. That is true—sort of. A number of years ago I captured a pretty good photo of an orchid called Grass Pink (Calopogon Tuberosus) and it appeared in the wonderful book Orchids of Manitoba created by a number of my friends and I. We were all part of an organization called Native Orchid Conservation Inc. (‘NOCI’) It was produced by Doris Ames, our spiritual leader and President of NOCI, Peggy Bainard Acheson, Lorne Heshka, Bob Joyce, Richard Reeves, Eugene Reimer, Ian Ward, myself, and for the second edition David Toop was added. Most of the photos were supplied by Ward and Heshka with added photos from others mostly all members of NOCI.
I played a small role in the production of that book with an article on the laws of Manitoba and how they affected wild flowers. It also contained one of my photos of this magnificent orchid. That was the photo shown here. It was taken on film and I had it scanned for publication. The photo caught the attention of someone from Canada Post Corp as they were preparing a series of photos of orchids and wanted some images. Eventually, they contacted me and purchased the right to publish my image on a stamp. When the stamp came out, it was for a stamp used for international posts. As a result few people in Canada ever saw it, but it was seen literally around the world.
In truth, I never got famous as my name was not included on the stamp but was part of a display when the series was introduced. To ensure that my fragile echo was cracked they misspelled my name on that display and turned a pink flower into a purple one. I found out quickly that fame is ephemeral and pretty cheap beer.
This is what Manitoba’s cactus looks like before the blooms emerge. For a while I thought this is all that I would see. Manitoba does not have a desert, but Spruce Woods Provincial Park with the Spirit Sands found in them are about as close as we get to that.
Today was my first break from manservant duties since Chris’ hip surgery. The store bought hip was working so well she kindly shooed me away. She promised not to take any radical maneuvers that might lead to her falling. That is her worst fear. Therefore it is also my worst fear. I was very eager to return to the Spirit Sands in Spruce Woods Provincial Park near Brandon. This is one of the most interesting places in Manitoba.
I want to blog about the Spirit Sands but will do so another time. I need to get some photographs of them. On this day I was too tired to go farther by the time I finished photographing Manitoba’s cactuses and a few other wild flowers. I drove for 3 hours last year to get here only to discover the cactuses were not blooming as I had hoped. I had an excellent spy looking out for them, namely Jennifer, the Park Interpreter, but I think I got there too late in the afternoon. The blossoms had already closed for the night. That was my operating theory. I saw the plants but no flowers. At first I was very disappointed.
After a while I found some flowers in bud. Then miraculously, I found some in bloom. I was a happy guy. This was more like it. I realized that as I was there flowers were emerging. I just had to be patient. It was marvelous.
I also spent a little time photographing some other wild flowers before I left this fantastic place.
I think this is one of the most beautiful wild flowers of Manitoba.
Some people call this Indian blanket, though for obvious reasons that name is not used much any more. It is time for a better name.
Wild rose though by any other name would still be just a sweet.
Recently I went on what might be my last botany trip for a while, as Chris went to the hospital for hip replacement surgery and after she is released I became her manservant. So I chose to go to one of my favourite places, The Brokenhead Ecological Reserve just north of the Brokenhead Ojibway First Nation with whom Native Orchid Conservation Inc. partnered with as well as the government of Manitoba and the Manitoba Model Forest to establish a wonderful place for the protection of native plants. Not just orchids.
Every time I got there I learn something. Today I stopped to think about a posted sign created by the First Nation. This is what it said,
Our elders teach us that all nature people and people are all part of the balance of life. When something is lost or taken, the balance is changed. When we lose one part of an ecosystem we put the entire ecosystem jeopardy. There must be a balance for Mother Earth to remain healthy.
Those are wise words. Well worthy thinking about.
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It was a beautiful day for a visit. I had spotted Dragon’s Mouth orchid (Arethusa bulbosa). It is one of the gems of the reserve.
I also went to the nearby Stead bog where I was easier to get closer to the Dragon’s Mouth.In the Ecological Reserve we have to stick to the board walk.
I also saw a little rabbit that was chewing on the leaves of a young seedling. Thank goodness he ignore the orchid right beside it. The rabbit also had something around its neck that I thought it might be mounds of ticks. I hope not, because I was sure that many ticks would not be good for the rabbit. In any event the rabbit graciously allowed us to take some portraits of it.
On my recent trip to the Woodridge Bog Shortly I made an amazing discovery. I found a new form of a familiar flower. It is called Small round-leaved orchid (Amerorchis rotundifolia (Banks ex Pursh) Hultén (Galearis rotundifolia (Banks ex Pursh) R.M. Bateman). This flower now has a new scientific name as it has been placed in a different Genus, namely, Galearis, of which it is the only member in Manitoba. What really excited me though was when I found one plant with flowers with a very unusual colouring. Normally, the plant has purplish-pink petals together with the dorsal sepal that forms a distinctive hood over the column. The three-lobed lip is white with red to purple spots, but this one plant did not have spots, it had dashes or broad, longitudinal, reddish bars. I have never seen one of these before. I was eager to post this to my orchid colleagues to see what they said about it. Fortunately I got a response from Doris Ames my good friend and former President of Native Orchid Conservation Inc. She actually knows a thing or two about orchids. She is not just a wanna be like me. Actually she knows a lot about orchids.
On my recent trip to the Woodridge Bog Shortly I made an amazing discovery. I found a new form of a familiar flower. It is called Small round-leaved orchid (Amerorchis rotundifolia (Banks ex Pursh) Hultén (Galearis rotundifolia (Banks ex Pursh) R.M. Bateman). This flower now has a new scientific name as it has been placed in a different Genus, namely, Galearis, of which it is the only member in Manitoba. What really excited me though was when I found one plant with flowers with a very unusual colouring. Normally, the plant has purplish-pink petals together with the dorsal sepal that forms a distinctive hood over the column. The three-lobed lip is white with red to purple spots, but this one plant did not have spots, it had dashes or broad, longitudinal, reddish bars. I have never seen one of these before. I was eager to post this to my orchid colleagues to see what they said about it. Fortunately I got a response from Doris Ames my good friend and former President of Native Orchid Conservation Inc. She actually knows a thing or two about orchids. She is not just a wanna be like me. Actually she knows a lot about orchids.
She said this orchid is very rare and was called Amerorchis rotundifolia forma lineata but I suspect that its genus name has change as well to Galearis. She said it had been seen in Churchill. I checked the Native Orchid Conservation Inc. website and sure enough there was an article by my old friend Lorne Heshka who had discovered it in Churchill and he mentioned that someone had seen it in Swan River. Now I can add a third spot to that list in Manitoba, the Woodridge bog! For me that was a fantastic discovery. I found this very exciting.
I drove out to the Sandilands near Hadashville in search of the elusive Calypso bulbosa. I went early so I would not feel rushed in my photography. I wanted to see if my new tripod, which I bought last fall would help me get better photos and it helped big time.
This was my third try at finding Calypso this year. It is usually Manitoba’s first orchid to bloom though the Yellow Lady’s slipper had already been spotted by some of my friends. I feared that I might have missed it, but I believed, correctly that this flower had just been reluctant to appear because of a very cool spring. Weren’t we all reluctant to leave our shelters? Patience and persistence is what I needed to find this gem.
Fairy-slipper or Calypso Calypso bulbosa (Linnaeus) Oakes var. americana (R. Brown) Luer is one of my favorite orchids. Its small size provides outstanding beauty. The flower is about the size of a dime. These tiny little orchids flowers usually live in wet forests and bogs.
I strolled into the cedar woods at my regular spot and found one before I reached the normal place I have been finding them each year. It was a gorgeous specimen in a perfect place for photography. I was radically pleased. I found a total of 5 at this location. This was a bonanza. Life is good.
Conditions were sensational for photography. First, it was very cool, and this helped to keep the mosquitoes away. It was quite windy outside the boggy forest, but the thick stand of trees kept the wind away. The sky was cloudy so excessive sun was also not a problem. I was ‘little girl’ happy. I took a number of photos of this lonely flower before proceeding to the regular spot. I got my fill of images at both these locations.
Then I moved a little farther east to another spot where I have seen these gems. Sure enough I quickly found 6 more. 5 were close together so I managed to get a photograph of 4 of them in close proximity to each other. Again, I was very happy.
After that I explored a little farther. It sure is nice to have lots of time. I found another 2 flowers close together which enabled me to get a photograph of one in focus with another in the background out of focus.
I left the bog immensely fulfilled. Life is good, even in a time of pandemic.
I went to Sandilands a second time in search of Calypso and was denied again. Flowers were not excited by the cool spring. Neither was I. But I was rewarded because crocuses were still in glorious bloom. I nearly rejected this first photograph and then paused to save it for future consideration. Later I wondered why I wanted to discard it because now it is one of my favourites. Lesson: slow down and be careful out there. Now I see it as suggesting light in the dark.
The Pasque flower or prairie crocus (Anemone patens), is one of the first plants to bloom on the prairie each year. They are a true indicator that spring is here. It is a time to cheer. It has petals that vary from white, pale pink, light blue, blue, pink, mauve, and purple.
These flowers are often found in disturbed land such as right beside a gravel road. Isn’t that a strange place to grow? Why in he gravel and why so close to a road where vehicles can end their short lives?
The strategy of blooming early enables this lovely flower to catch the attention of pollinators such as small bees and insects because there is little competition at this time of year from other flowers. This strategy of course has its risks. Sometimes the seeds are unable to germinate on account of severe cold during flowering, which can severely restrain seed production. Often they appear before the snow melts completely. If the prairie soil is too dry the seeds will go dormant, then germinate the following spring.
Frankly, I have hundreds of crocus photos and each year I say enough already and then in spring I am so anxious to photograph wild flowers I find I must go out in search of them. I can’t resist their beauty. Only a Cretan would do that. The prairie crocus is a treasure of the prairie spring.
I like this one because it shows the crocus looming out of the dark.
