Finally, after almost two solid weeks of rain, we had sunshine here in Maine and I ventured into the woods by the river near our house. Imagine after all that rain! The mosquitoes and black flies were out in full force.

The river is still quite high after all the rains. The ground was very wet and spongy. I tried my first "spot" for the Cypripediums, which is in a forgotten graveyard.

You cannot even find the graveyard as it is so well hidden in the woods. I always use this lone grave as a landmark:

http://pic17.picturetrail.com:80/VOL796/117745/7511325/98332004.jpg

Some of the graves there are amazing and date from 1821. Imagine these hidden in the woods:

http://pic17.picturetrail.com:80/VOL796/117745/7511325/98331152.jpg

It is an incredible, forgotten place of peace and tranquility...and the forest floor is perfect for Cyps. From walks in years past, I recalled seeing a healthy population in the graveyard. Today, I saw some growth that looked like it could be Cyps, but they did not look quite right. Still, I thought that we could be really late in Maine..so I took a photo:

http://pic17.picturetrail.com:80/VOL796/117745/7511325/98331978.jpg

So I was not sure about these plants. Took my photo and ambled on, and then I saw them!!! When you see the real thing, you know it! There was no mistaking it! We are way behind and I only found one in spike.

http://pic17.picturetrail.com:80/VOL796/117745/7511325/98331990.jpg

Doesn't it look like a swan with that long graceful neck on the spike? I could not see a colony. There were only two isolated plants that I could see. One was further behind in progress. Perhaps the plant that was in spike was protected by the pine tree?

http://pic17.picturetrail.com:80/VOL796/117745/7511325/98331992.jpg

I was not happy with the photos, but that was the best I could do. I had to llie down on the ground to get the best angles of the plants. I did not think about Poison Ivy at the time. Good thing, too, as it is here:

http://pic17.picturetrail.com:80/VOL796/117745/7511325/98331971.jpg

Well, hopefully, I did not stick my face into the poison ivy as I was trying to take the shots of the Lady's. On my way back, I got another bonus. A Jack-in-the-Pulpit:

http://pic17.picturetrail.com:80/VOL796/117745/7511325/98331131.jpg

So with that, I left the woods with these other photos:


http://pic17.picturetrail.com:80/VOL796/117745/7511325/98331958.jpg

http://pic17.picturetrail.com:80/VOL796/117745/7511325/98331176.jpg

I will go back next week and check up on the progress of that spike. Really, we used to have many more of them down there. They may still be there...I just have to dress better for the bugs and the poison ivy!!!

Excellent pics! Thanks for sharing! The Cyps growing wild nearby in my area were stripped and poached a couple of years ago. :mad:

Very cool graveyard! I really like the poem on the stone! Can't wait to see the flower!

Tadd- somewhere I have a book of funny graveyard poems. It's really fun to read. Old cemetaries are very interesting. We have the only old style Shaker cemetary in the town I work in and it is really fascinating to read and see the resting places of the people whose lives we interpret at the museum. There is one Shaker woman whose bible we have - story is she left her husband and walked barefoot and pregnant many miles with only her bible to join the Harvard Shakers. Both she and her daughter (the one she was pregnant with) spent their lives as Shakers and are buried there. Great school group story! :D

Sorry for the tangent!

Susan - great photos! Does anyone know what that white flower is? I've never seen anything like it around here. Reminds me of datura!
I had to really laugh at your bug and PI comments. Last year I literally was running around the Cyps trying to lose the skeeters long enough to take a photo. If anyone had seen me they would have surely thought me deranged. Thank you for reminding me to dress accordingly!
I love that you found a Jack in the Pulpit also! They are so cool.

I loved particularly seeing your Cyp in bud, I've never seen them at that stage. It is so amazing to me that us Tropical slipper growers can go out in our backyards and find our native ones growing and blooming.

Thanks to all who are going out hunting for these lovely species! I had to postpone my walk. Please everyone cross their fingers that my colleague's virus is better on Monday so I can get out there! :lol:

I think the white flowers are Trilliums, aren't they?

Oh, I don't know - I searched and I'd never seen the more upside down types, but still...not sure.

http://www.goldsword.com/sfarmer/Trillium/gallery.html

I'm pretty sure they are Trills because the leaves are very trillium like and the flowers also. I have seen some here with upside down flowers hiding under the leaves. I also think they are protected like the Cyps.

I am pretty sure those are Merry bells. They look like Soloman's seal when not flowering. If the plant doesn't look like that then they are probably Trilliums.

We also have those "pseudo-Cyps" They are some species of lily or Allium...but I can't remeber which. If I remember correctly they get tiny white star-shaped flowers.

Thanks for sharing those wonderful pics!!

Jon

Jon, I think you may be right about them being Mary Bells. :)

Thanks for your observations! This is such an exciting time of the year in our "Spring" season. I'm so happy to share what we have here in North America, Maine, USA with you...In Maine, we live in colder climates. We like to make jokes about the weather. Seriously though, our temperatures can range from 20 degrees below (F) to over 90+ (F). So we do have our extremes, but they are mostly rare.

I have noticed, after living in Maine for over 25 years, that we are getting warmer.

I hope that we might get some photos of orchids in other parts of this Planet and I'm sure they will be informative and help us all learn.

Jon & Pete,

I think you are right about the Mary Bells. I think Trilliums are upright and stand from three leaf growths. (Cannot describe them better at this time. I'm better at taking a photograph.) It does also look like Solomon's Seal, but it is not. We have it in our garden. It is much larger than the plant I photographed.

My experience with the Trilliums also came today. I have to go: :offtopic:

I ran into a turtle during my yard "sailing" on a back road. This does not happen that much, even in Maine. I do look for turtles on the road. Whenever I drive, I will always make it a point to look for turtles. Turtles are special to me! At first, I thought that he was a piece of asphalt, just like the road, but something made me turn around and take a closer look.

Turtle, yes. Could not identify him. Not a Painted or Spotted Turtle that we have here. I don't think he was a Snapper either. I'm wondering whether he was a Wood Turtle which is a Protected Species here in Maine.His Carapace was very interesting as it was like a bunch of 5 sided Pentagrams put together. He was not a Box turtle, as the Carapace/Plasterdon (Sorry for the spellings) did not identify him as a Box Turtle. And he did not close up like a Box would.

It worked out OK , as I met some nice "kids" (anyone under 40 is a Kid to me) on the road and they were going to take care of him. Even as to take him to the vet!!!:Party:

Back to the point... I ramble don't I??? While thinking about putting the turtle into the woods, I saw bunch of what I think are Trilliums. Georgous Flowers. If I have the energy, I will take photos of these!!!

Back on point... after the Turtle story. :lol:

That cyp should be open in three our four days!!! Be sure to return. I like the photo of the cyp in situ!

Watch out for spooks!

TADD & Heather,

I have a book about old New England Grave Art. It is somewhere in my mess of stuff, but I will look for it and let you know the title, ISDN, etc, if you would like it. It really is scary, as the art form leaned more to the pessimistic presentation of skulls and the like......The memorials in our woods are really quite mellow compared to those....

It is still amazing as someone is remembered in the woods. He still gets his Memorial Day Flag!!

http://pic17.picturetrail.com:80/VOL796/117745/7511325/98331159.jpg

Grave Art has a very long history, especially in England & Europe where people would take rubbings of old effigys. It got so popular that I believe that taking grave rubbings has been limited as too many people were doing it.

Heather, you must know about the Shaker's SabbathDay Lake Community in Maine. I think it is still going on. There might be a few Sisters in their 80's or 90's now, but I think they have other non-Shakers living there, doing the herbs, and taking care of things.

Those white flowers are a type of lily (which includes the trilliums and solomen seals), but they are not a trillium species. I can't vouch for Mary Bells since I don't recall seeing them in TN

Most trillium species are not endangered, and do have upright flowers (often red) admidst 3 leaves (without the flowers they are easy to confuse with early emergent Jack in the pulpits). But there are also a number of white trillium species, and species with nodding flowers. (Those are some of the listed species).


Pretty Cool

Thanks, Garland!

I'll go out on Monday and see how it is doing. I think that the one in spike should be safe. I'm really afraid for the smaller two plants that are shooting up, as they are on a path and someone might walk on them..or worse, as some of the ATV riders think that they own the planet and do not care (or know) about what they could be destroying.

What concerns me is that there are not as many Slippers these days. I was able to find so many more just a few years ago.

I'd love to see photos of slippers growing in the wild, like these from other countries and climates!!!

I'm gonna retrace my steps to where I found the turtle and bring the camera to take pics of what I think is the Trillium. Will post tomorrow.

I have no clue as to what the Little Belle Plant is. Just thought it was pretty. It is quite small. The flowers are less than an inch long, if that helps.

It was only about 15 miles away, but then again some of these plants have their own ecosystems!

I really think that the plants are smarter than we humans!

I'll go back to take photos of the flowers that i think might be Trillilums.

I'm really afraid for the smaller two plants that are shooting up, as they are on a path and someone might walk on them..or worse, as some of the ATV riders think that they own the planet and do not care (or know) about what they could be destroying.


Don't get me started on ATV's....They have RUINED our trails and after two weeks of rain, who is out there, bright and early yesterday morning? Can't they just wait for it to dry out a bit? :Mad:
Sorry if anyone here is into this but the one's in my neck of the woods (where we actually DO NOT ALLOW motorized vehicles on conservation land) are out of control.

And just so I can say this is completely off topic - Yes, Susan, I think there are 4 Shakers at Sabbathday Lake. Two Brothers, are actually in their 50's I think. I also heard recently there was a new novitiate! Not bad for the longest running communal society in America, despite their celibacy! I actually drove up there a few months ago and drove through the closed village. Very peaceful place.

As I was driving off last night, I noticed our woods full of false lily of the valley, and I wondered if that was what you saw as the false Cyps.

I think that white flower is Sessile-leaf Bellwort, Uvularia sp (also called Wild Oats, but it is a lily sp). The flowers on the pictured plants are whiter and with more recurved petals than what we see down hear though, but the foliage is right on. There are a few species of Bellwort, maybe that's a variety particular to the north.

I couldn't find anything in my books called Mary bells, but there is another lily called Fairy bells. (Disporum sp). This species has foliage much more like the solomon seal, and has flowers that open real wide.

Incidentally the Indian Cucumber is also a lily.

That's what I get for using common names. Merrybells here are Uvularia sessilifolia...never heard it called bellwort, but I guarantee we are talking about the same plant.

Jon

Thanks Jon
I was thinking wild oats when I first saw the pictures, but the flowers are a bit different for what we typically see in TN. The Maine version is prettier. Maybe it is a fairly distinct variety. Also I can't find "Merrybells" in any of my feild guides???


I think an interesting fun fact about wild oats is that it contains substances that can boost testosterone (Hence the term sowing wild oats).

I found a few Mary Bells, a couple of Jacks, lots of Trilliums and a whole bunch of Lilies of the Valley in my neck of the woods today but no Cyps.

Hi, the nodding white flower is Uvularia sessilifolia - Sessile Bellwort. There are three bellworts in New England - this one has more elongated, thin leaves than the other two, which have more oval leaves. This is one of my favorite spring wildflowers. Excellent abandoned graveyard!

Ron Burch

Hi Ron,

Thanks so much for the ID and name of the plant. Is it related to Lily of the Valley? Probably not...For some reason I recall that lilies and onions are somewhat related? Alliums perhaps?

Yes, that old graveyard is mostly forgotten. I don't walk there often, as it takes a sort of mental energy and reverence to go there, as if it were sacred ground so to speak. Still, it is not totally forgotten as someone put a brand new flag onto a 1850's grave for Memorial day.

There is another old and lost graveyard just as close but somehow scares me, that I will walk over to and take a look. Also my daughter recalls places deeper in the woods where she said that there were "Tons of those Plants!" If it is not raining tomorrow, we will take a walk and see what we can find!

Hi, yes Uvularia is a lilly, so is related to lily of the valley

Ron

Ok, this is weird and OT - but, We were talked into buying candles that look like Lily bulbs for my store. They get lots of attention but everyone thinks they are onions. :roll:

We were told they were a "best seller" of the season. Um, for us, not so much!
If anyone wishes to own a Lily Bulb candle, just let me know, I'll cut you a deal!

all of the photos are very nice :clap2: and I like the tombstone photos.

It is in bloom now. Unfortunately, It is the only one in sight, where there used to be many more. It is growing in a pine forest, but I don't see the smaller hemlock bushes that are in the other member's photos for areas that are condusive for growing. Perhaps this forest is changing? Or there are too many people going here. (More likely)

http://pic17.picturetrail.com:80/VOL796/117745/7580217/99409017.jpg

There is also something out there that ate a leaf from the last time I visited. Perphas this is why they are so sparse.

http://pic17.picturetrail.com:80/VOL796/117745/7580217/99409010.jpg

Still, I was thrilled to see this lone one in bloom.

Susan, if you want to see photos of our beautiful and exotic multifloral Paphs growing in their native land in the wild, then you should get the book Slipper Orchids of Borneo by Philip Cribb. I bought that book just for the pictures! :lol: On the cover is a very nice photo of a wild sanderianum and it is just awesome seeing it grow in the wild like that!

Thanks Pete!

I will see if I can find the book. Sounds good to me.

Wait until I start bugging all of you about the edible(???) mushrooms that grow down there!!! I've been too scared to pick them; much less eat them, but I'm 99% positive those were the ones my grandmother taught me about.

It is that other 1% that worries me. :|

Beautiful Cyp pics you posted! Most of mine in my neck of the woods have completely disappeared. Those damn poachers and ATV riders! :mad: I went looking for Cyps again and found none but I did find a giant Jack in the Pulpit in one area. That area had regular sized Jacks and just one giant one right in the middle. It was about 5-6 ft tall and the pitcher was HUGE!!!! The stem was also very thick and woody. Does anyone know if they get that big? I have seen many Jacks before but never one that size. I wonder how it got to such huge proportions!

Lovely photos, Susan, much better than mine!
I really stink at photography!

I saw a pic of Pete's Jack and indeed it looks really huge, I've never seen one even close to that size! Unreal!

Heather, you don't stink at photography. Your photos are VERY fine and so much depends upon what camera you are using, pixels, and many more things I don't do very well at. Sometimes it is just luck and you get the right light or angle. I just take lots of photos and maybe 10% of them are OK. Then I go from there and find the best ones.

Pete & Heather, is there a photo of that huge Jack-in-the-Pulpit on this forum? I REALLY want to see it.

Please!!!!!