Fall Orchids

One of my late September rituals is to make the rounds to admire the final orchids of the year.  Spiranathes ovalis is a late season orchid that is uncommon in Ohio, but which has been steadily increasing its numbers at Blue Jay Barrens.

I find Spiranthes ovalis typically growing at the base of steep wooded hillsides and the adjacent gently sloped area between the hill and the creek. 

The demure plants are difficult to find among the fallen leaves and competing vegetation in the shadows of the trees.  My initial discoveries are always made on the walking trails.  The trails typically get mowed twice each summer.  The second mowing is done in late August, prior to the elongation of the orchid flower stalk, so I don’t accidently decapitate one of these lovely flowers.  The orchid in the above photo is located in the lower right hand quadrant.

Blooms are withering on plants that opened their flowers early in September.  Many of the plants only produce a few flowers.

Others produce long spikes.  I’ve tracked many Spiranthes ovalis plants through the years and have found that they usually persist for four or five years before disappearing.  Even if a plant doesn’t flower in a given year, it will produce a cluster of basal leaves.  If a few years pass without leaves appearing, I assume the plant is dead.  Fortunately, new plants always seem to be emerging to take the place of those lost.

The second late season orchid, and my personal favorite, is Spiranthes magnicamporum.

This species is capable of producing some very robust flower spikes.  The flowers are not only large and attractive, they produce a strong scent.

There are a few individual Spiranthes magnicamporum plants scattered around Blue Jay Barrens, but only two areas where you can find a concentration of plants.  This past Sunday, I found a dozen plants blooming here.  Shallow, rocky soil with patchy vegetation typifies the conditions in which I am likely to find these plants.

The second site of Spiranthes magnicamporum plants is slightly steeper than the former, but no less barren.  This site had a large number of blooming plants last year.  I counted only seven this year.  It’s rather hard to predict just how well the orchids are going to do in any given year.

Not only were there fewer plants this year, those plants present developed flowers spikes much shorter than normal.  This species is also increasing in number.  That means it is more likely that I’ll find a few large, impressive plants each year.

Spiranthes Orchid Time

I used to think of orchids as being rather rare and requiring an almost climate controlled environment. Although many do require specialized habitats, most species have proven to be quite hardy and capable of enduring extreme conditions. There have been 14 orchid species identified at Blue Jay Barrens. My favorite genus, Spiranthes, is represented by five species. Late summer and fall is a prime blooming time for these species and I’m always anxious to find the first flower spikes. Pictured is Slender Ladies' Tresses, Spiranthes lacera.

It takes a keen eye to spot a Spiranthes flower stalk hidden in the tall grass. The tiny flowers line up in a spiral around the central shaft of the stalk. Stalks seldom exceed 12 inches in height and are usually much shorter.

Most of the summer flowering Spiranthes are leafless at bloom time. Basal leaves, which have already done their job of recharging the plant’s energy supply, have withered and disappeared. Leaves on the stalk are nothing more than small scales and are barely visible.

The flowers of Spiranthes lacera are quite variable. In the past, this variability has been used to break the plants into two distinct species. The typical flower displays a lime-green throat. The type pictured is known as variety gracilis.

Spiranthes species produce some of the most fragile looking flowers of the plant world. They always remind me of some sugar based confectioners creation. These delicate blooms with pure white throats belong to Little Ladies' Tresses, Spiranthes tuberosa.

Spiranthes tuberosa produces a loose spiral spike that often lies over and sprawls in the grass. The bloom is so sparkling white that it’s often impossible to see any details in bright sunlight.

The basal leaf clusters of the presumed Lesser Ladies' Tresses, Spiranthes ovalis, have developed flower stalks. It won’t be long before the flowers bloom and I will be able to confirm my identification.

More Orchid Leaves

What I would like to have is an identification guide that details all stages of development of all plants and animals from egg/seed to maturity. Fully illustrated of course. It’s frustrating to find plants that you should know, but can’t identify because they are not at a growth stage you recognize. I know this plant is an orchid, so several hundred possibilities have been eliminated. There’s still a ways to go before attaching a specific name to this specimen.

If you can’t identify something, the natural impulse is to look more closely. It’s the visual equivalent to turning up the TV volume when someone is speaking with an accent you don’t understand. These leaves look like those of the genus Spiranthes, but there are still several species to choose from. Time of flowering varies between species, so I closely examine the little stub to see if it’s the start of a leaf or a flower stalk. It’s a leaf. No help there.

Location can also give a clue to species. This plant is growing in the trail that passes the resting bench. I pass this way quite often so I know that no orchid bloomed here before. These must be young plants.

There’s more than one plant. Three less vigorous specimens are growing in the same area. In shaded locations, Spiranthes ovalis, Lesser Ladies’ Tresses, is the only Spiranthes species I’ve found. If I only had something to compare it to.

What a fortunate coincidence that last fall I marked the location of two Spiranthes ovalis growing next to the barn. I mark a few plant species each year, so I can watch how the plant changes through the season. A spider has webbed over both sites, but I think I can break through to view the plants.

Spiranthes ovalis, matching very closely what I saw near the resting bench. This plant flowered last year, so you would expect the growth this year to be less robust. Ovalis blooms in October and until now, I’ve never known what the plant looked like at this time of year. I so enjoy learning new things.

Lesser Ladies' Tresses

This is part of the flower spike of an orchid called Lesser Ladies’ Tresses, Spiranthes ovalis. This is a September bloomer and is uncommon in Ohio.

This is the smallest of the Ladies’ Tresses at Blue Jay Barrens. The tightly wound flower spike sits atop a four to eight inch stem. Most plants are just now beginning to bloom.

The leaves of this plant sit very near the ground. Some animal, such as a deer, can nip off the flower stalk and the leaves will remain to continue producing energy for storage in the roots. Deer usually don’t bother these plants unless someone touches the flower with their hands. Sometimes a single touch changes things enough that a deer will bite off the top of the plant. I’ve seen this same thing happen to many species of plants. Touch it today and it’s gone tomorrow. Now I use a stick to move plants around for a better look, so I don’t turn them into a deer snack.

These flowers are really hard to see. They grow in moist soil in partially wooded areas where the shadows and surrounding vegetation tend to mask their presence.

This is a typical situation for Lesser Ladies’ Tresses. Open woods on the lowest part of a hillside provides perfect growing conditions. There are at least five plants growing in this small area.