Large Twayblade ~ Liparis lilifolia
It was by pure chance I noticed this orchid in late May because it was late in the evening and the sun was low enough to be highlighting the plant.
I went back to the park the following day to photograph it and walked back and forth in the area about 8 times before finding it again. Needless to say these orchids are very inconspicuous.
I found these two pink flowering Large Twayblades as well as a smaller version with a light yellow flower. The most interesting thing is that I walk this trail almost every day and have never noticed them before and I consider myself pretty observant.
Early this spring, the City did an extensive prescribed burn of the park of the prairie area as well as a woodland ridge (esker) where this plant was found.
Any comments or insight welcome.
NOTE: This comment was emailed to me and the author asked me to add it to this posting.
ReplyDeleteI discovered Lily-Leaved Twayblade much like you did. My family has a property of degraded oak savanna in Dakota Co. One spring, I found a plant growing in a patch of Lily-of-the-valley (The leaves are almost identical). I was thrilled. Soon I found a patch of 50 or so plants in the woods and scattered individuals elsewhere.
According to Welby Smith's book, Orchids of Minnesota, he has observed them typically in mature oak forests. He also says that they tend to pioneer in newly growing woodlands as well.
Our oak savanna was a sheep pasture 15 years earlier. When it was subdivided into a residential neighborhood, the woods filled in the space between the mature oak trees. The only remaining prairie patch is at the crest of a small hill near the majority of the Twayblades. Since then, I have been removing the buckthorn and plan to start burning to clear out some of the seedlings and restore the savanna.
Since removing the buckthorn, I haven't seen the Twayblades spread from where I found them initially, however they haven't faded either. I've been worried about burning since the bulbs of the orchid are right at the surface, so I am glad to hear they survived the burn by the city. My guess was they were there all along, and only after the restoration did they become visible.
~ Mike