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An Exciting Wildflower Discovery - August 2018 Southern Nantahala Wilderness Area Hiawassee, Georgia |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2018) |
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An Exciting Wildflower Discovery - August 2018 Southern Nantahala Wilderness Area Hiawassee, Georgia |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2018) |
| Three Birds Orchids (TBOs): Three Birds Orchids (Triphora trianthophora) are an unusual species of deciduous forests, ranging across much of eastern and central North America. The plants are uncommon throughout much of their range, although they can be locally abundant. Until recently, I've had to drive an hour to get my Three Birds fix, at locations that Don H. and I have enjoyed for the past few years. In mid August 2018, I was conducting one of my explorations along the creek below our property, checking for new wildflower blooms. I spotted a colorful coral fungi that I wanted to photograph, and looked for a clear spot to set down my pack and retrieve my camera. The first thing I spotted was a pair of Three Birds Orchid flowers. I couldn't believe my eyes! These orchids are known for their elusive nature. Each regional population might bloom 3-5 times per season, with all plants blooming at the same time, the blooms only lasting for a day. The synchronous bloom cycles occur about 5-10 days apart... August 16, 2018: |
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When I found the orchids (above and below), they had just bloomed a day or two earlier. Based on my visits to our other TBO location, I knew this had been the third bloom cycle for the summer. These plants still had some buds, so there would be one last bloom. |
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| I revisited the orchids in the following days to check their condition: |
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Between Monday and Tuesday, the flower buds raised from a horizontal position to nearly vertical, so I was confident that they would bloom during the next day. (Photos above and below taken on Tuesday.) |
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| Sure enough, on the following day (Wednesday) the flowers were in fine bloom! |
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| The flowers were every bit as delicate and beautiful as this species always is... |
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| Being the final bloom cycle of the season, this was not a prolific bloom. |
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| But I saw 25-30 flowers, so I was satisfied, and can wait until next year for the "big" bloom! |
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| We had already caught this season's "big" bloom at our other site, so I wasn't disappointed. |
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| Heading back to our house, I found another group in bloom below our driveway! While this album is part of a S. Nantahala Wilderness gallery, many of the TBOs are on our property... |
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| A "three-fer", three flowers on one plant. Although not very photo-worthy as such, since one flower is on a lower stem far below the other two... |
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| These are just a sampling of the TBO blooms that I photographed that afternoon. |