Cypripedium acaule

Cypripedium acaule Aiton (1789.)

   Searching our woods for the pretty pink flowers of the acaules usually starts around the 20th of May.

    The plants grow under Beeches and Maples - near Pines or Hemlocks and flower together with the wild Lily of the Valley to the middle of June.

    They are not always easy to spot between ferns and wildflowers and it is always exciting to discover them.

20 June 1999

We found another major Cypripedium acaule patch in our woods.

Here is one of the clusters from that site, some of the plants are now in pod.

It was a great 'acaule year'!

13 May 2000

It's that time of year again!
The acaulies are coming ... some early bloomers!

27 May 2001

   We had visited our Cypripedium acaule patches on 12 May; on that day the plants and flowers were just emerging and some early ones were already fully open.

   Two weeks later they were profusely flowering, their pretty pink tones fully developed and pictures were taken during the Memorial Day weekend.

   Approaching one of the major stands in our woods - a whole row of these flowers in open view with the sunlight shining on them, it can really give your heart a jump!!

   This particular stand stretches out a few more yards beyond the plants in these pictures, in smaller groups. Also, single plants radiating from this site, are found further away.

   Coming closer to enjoy the flowers, we are careful not to create a path for deer to follow, since they are numerous and chow down anything along their way.
   And they do follow our tracks... as we had learned the hard way in previous years.

In this habitat there are Pine trees, deciduous trees, a carpet of blooming wild Lily of the Valley, lots of Star flowers and Club mosses.

   This particular spot does not have the Sarsaparillas and large ferns as some of the other stands.

27 - 30 May 2005

   Visiting the several stands of Cypripedium acaule in our woods during the Memorial Day weekend has become a very enjoyable ritual. This year was no exception, we visited all of them. Lots of beautiful plants in flower and many juvenile plants around them - it is another good year for the Cypripedium acaule.

       To our big surprise and delight we found one plant with a totally white flower, all others around it were shades of pink.

   This group of plants grew in a very protected spot at the edge of the woods near a stone wall, away from deer tracks. Very carefully not to step on any precious plants, I took a whole batch of pictures - here is a close-up.

   And the very beautiful pinks!!

   Lots of them in different locations, but always in mixed forest, in close proximity of conifers.

   The wild Lily of the Valley, Bead Lily, Starflowers, Foamflowers, False- or Indian Cucumbers, Solomon's Seal and Mayapples were also in bloom, which made it a most interesting walk through the forest.
    And we found two Platanthera lacera plants which we protected with a cage.