Pink Lady's Slipper

I have a love affair with Pink Lady's Slippers, one of four species in Maine. This species is the most common throughout Maine forests, and we have been lucky to see four of them on our woodsy walks of late.

They have a special relationship with mycorrhizal fungi that supply these orchids nutrients. Never pick them or try to transplant them as they will not survive. It is best to leave them in place and enjoy them in the forest.

So pretty... This species, Cypripedium acaule, is pollinated by bumblebees.