THANKS FOR SHARING THE GREAT PHOTOS!
Love this native cyp.
Glad you left them to themselves. Home cultivation of C. acaule is very iffy.
The species is available online! Check the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Plantek

Neat photos, thanks for sharing! It's always a real treat to see orchids growing in their natural habitat.

Thanks for the treat, Ray. It would have been quite surprising to hear you'd taken any of the plants - you come across as an ethical guy.

It'd be terrific to see native orchids in the state where I grew up. Maybe one of these days... Whitecat8

Whitecat, did you grow up in North Carolina? If so, are you familiar with a tiny town called Sylva? Its a couple miles after Waynesville when heading away from Ashville (I've never lived there, so I do not know of a better way to describe is location).

I'm thinking about ordering some of the cultivated Cypripediums that terrestrial shared for my grandmother to plant closer to her house where she can enjoy them without the muddy hike (I am sensing a possible orchid nut lurking within her).

-Ray-

Very cool!
I took a quick trip up the mountains, today, to check on things.
Although they're about gone, I found tons of Calypso's and a lot more Goodyera.
My local Cyps aren't big enough to bloom yet, but my box of Cyp. calceolus is bloomin'!:~)
At my last orchid meeting, I was told that Cyp. montanum is not hard to find in certain areas.
I'm just not quite sure where those are, yet!

i bought some yellow lady slippers last year and put them in a sheltered area in my garden: it looks like one has survived and peeking out of the ground. very exciting. i hope you don't mind my asking a question: I would like to move it to an area where i can enjoy it more: should i? thanks.
sue

hello, Ray, thanks for sharing the photos. it must have been so exhilarating to see them in their own environment.
sue

Ray, no, I grew up in Arkansas and may have seen native orchids when I lived there but didn't know what they were.

That's cool you're getting your grandmother a plant. Whitecat8

Littlem, I would say that if you want to move it that you should get an idea of how far the roots have spread out since you have planted it. When I found these plants I came back again to check out their growing habits, I brushed away debris & dirt & realized that their roots really spread out. I do not know how deep the roots grow, but I am sure that they grow at least 6 or so inches deep (if not more). I would dig out a really big chunk of soil with the plants so that I would not disturb the roots too much.

Whitecat, in addition to the cypripedium I think I might give her my Kovachii to see if she can do anything with it. They have really clean water (fed from a spring), clouds regularly roll thru their front yard & they get the cool winters & springs that stimulate them to bloom (the upper 90's do not seem to be cutting it for this plant). I have had mine for a while & all it has done is put up two new growths =0( I tried ice (like I did on my Phrag. Grande) and it did nothing for me.

-Ray-

Thank you, Ray; those are just plain Beautiful!

As a child and adult, I spent quite a few years in VA and NC, where we called Cypripedium acaule by another common name, pink moccasin. It was always a special treat to come across them in the woods.

My daughter's small farm is near Mount Airy, NC, quite a way east of Asheville. Every spring several clumps of pink moccasins bloom at the wooded edge of her yard. Your grandmother will surely be delighted to have them growing so close by.

I can't say I long for the humidity, but I surely do miss the beautiful wildflowers that bloom so abundantly in the woods of that eastern range, from mountains to tidewater. Your pictures bring it all back again. Thank you.

Sweetcicely

hello, Ray, thanks for the advice. Kovachii are so beautiful but so big. I am still debating with myself about getting one. cool would not be a problem here. i read that they use crushed shells for calcium as an additive to the medium for growing these: would that be like ordinary seashells; the ones that one can gather on the beach?
sue

Ray, too bad about your kovachii. Yeah, the constant warmth might be a problem. Periodically, I take my species back to the grower, Orchids Ltd., to see how it's doing. Jerry Fischer says it's doing fine - 2 new growths, new leaves larger, and keeping 4 leaves, w/ 4-5 leaves total being optimal.

But, we've got the cooler spring and fall temps, and now I know not to leave the Phrags outside this summer.

SC, your writing brings up good memories of summers in Arkansas. Each year the "wild violets" popped up everywhere.

Whitecat8

What a nice find, Ray. Glad you had camera in hand. Thanks for sharing the pics with us. I enjoyed your walk 'vicariously.' I'm sure I would have landed on my 'bum' walking down that slippery slope. LOL

Marci

Yes, Glenn Decker (from Piping Rock Orchids) spent a few minutes talking with me about the process to discovering the perfect potting medium. He said that the key ingredient to making seedlings & adults thrive was the crushed oyster shell. I use crushed egg shells in some of my other plants to supplement calcium. If you decide to buy one, I would see if they would sell you a bag of their potting medium so that you do not have to buy the stuff to make up a special batch.

-Ray-