Lady’s
Slippers of the
Land o’ Lakes
Outdoors in the Land O'Lakes by Steve Blight
Some
of the most interesting and attractive wildflowers found in our area
are the lady’s slippers. These members of the Orchid family of
plants are distinguished by their large slipper-shaped pouches, which
trap and direct insect pollinators in a certain direction so that
they collect or deposit small packets of pollen on their way by.
Another interesting feature of lady’s slippers is that some people
experience a kind of rash similar to poison ivy after they handle
them. All the more reason to follow the old adage “look, but don’t
touch”.
There are three species of lady’s
slippers that we have a good chance of seeing in this area, and all
are gorgeous – Yellow Lady’s Slipper, Pink Lady’s Slipper or
Moccasin Flower, and Showy Lady’s Slipper. All three have flowers
that are 1-2 inches in length and flower in late spring or early
summer. Let’s take a closer look at each of the three plants.
Yellow
Lady’s Slippers are probably the most common of the three.
Botanists are still trying to figure out if there is more than one
species of Yellow Lady’s Slipper in this area, or if they are just
different varieties of the same species. PhDs are routinely earned
by botanists who argue that single species should be split into two
or more species (these scientists can collectively be referred to as
“splitters”). Others argue that some groups of similar species
should be put back together under one species, and they are known as
“lumpers”. So far, it seems to me that the splitters are winning
the day, with more and more species showing up in many plant books.
Yellow
Lady’s Slippers grow in a variety of soil, sunlight and moisture
regimes. Some grow in dry acidic soils, while others prefer the wet
soils of bogs or the more basic soils found in areas of limestone or
marble bedrock. In some places, this plant can be found growing quite
happily in the open at the edge of gravel roads. In our area, it
generally begins flowering at the end of May, and will flower for
about a week to ten days if the weather does not get too hot.
Pink
Lady’s Slippers are fussier about their growing conditions, and are
only found in areas with very acidic soils. This generally limits
them to two types of conditions – in sphagnum bogs, and in thin
soils under pines and oaks. These flowers bloom in early June,
although they flower well into July in areas to the north of our
region.
The
third relatively common species is the queen of the local orchids,
the pink and white flowered Showy Lady’s Slipper. In our area, this
plant does not need much of an introduction, thanks to the thousands
of blooms that attract visitors to the Purdon Conservation Area at
the end of June and early July. This is also the largest of the local
lady’s slippers, with plants sometimes growing to a height of over
two feet. It generally likes to grow in very wet, lightly shaded
areas, often in the company of eastern white cedars – exactly what
the Purdon Conservation Area has to offer, which helps to explain why
this is the largest known colony of Showy Lady’s Slippers in
Canada!
Please
feel free to report any observations to to Steve Blight at natureobservations@rogers.com or Lorraine Julien at
outdoor1@look.ca
