Hunting Native Orchids

Hunting Orchids in New England

One Sunday in August one of my friends called me on my cell phone.
"How are you?" he inquired.
"Fine."
"What are you doing?"
"I am 2 miles from my car, it is 98 degrees, I am soaked with sweat, I stink of mosquito repellent and dirt. I am having the best day ever!"

I was at one of the National Wildlife Refuges that dot the Eastern Seaboard. And I had already shot 2 rolls of 36 exposure slide film, having found a 15 specimen patch of Platanthera lacera, the Ragged Fringed Orchid.

That made it a great day for me.

Even on my long hikes my cell is usually on, since I have a small child at home. Which has certainly led to some interesting conversations over the years, as people reach me while I'm on a cliff face mining quartz crystals, on an observation platform over a swan nesting ground, or in my kayak in the pouring rain paddling down the Farmington River.

Physical comfort isn't always of the essence while I'm pursuing my orchids or other adventures. Getting to the places to get the photographs, that's the goal.

My program on hunting native orchids will talk about how I have managed to find some of the species listed in the NE books. I will include a handout of guide books I enjoy, as well as contact details for more information.

Many of the known sites have restricted access and permits to see the flowers must be acquired in advance. Timing is also key to seeing flowers, rather than buds or seed pods.

Wild Orchids of the Northeastern United States by Paul Martin Brown, ISBN 0-8014-8341-7
1997, paperback, 236 pp

Orchids of the Northeast by William K. Chapman, ISBN 0-8156-0342-8 1997, paperback, 200 pp

Hidden Orchids by Thomas J Bulat & Marilyn Bulat, ISBN 0-945213-19-0, paperback, 112 pp