Wednesday, May 26, 2010

5/26/2010 - Rare Beauty


Ever since I was a kid I remember my grandmother telling me to watch out for ladyslippers when I was up in Maine.  These little plants were beautiful and NEVER to be picked by my little hands.  I don't know if it was true, but I basically had the understanding that picking them was illegal and if I so much as brushed one I might be carted off to jail by some omnipresent big brother entity whose sheer existance was to punish bad little flower picking girls. 

The ladyslipper shown here is a pink ladyslipper or cypripedium acaule according to Wikipedia, and is one of five rare species of orchids that grow in north america and other areas of the world. This pretty one is only one of a pair in my in-law's front yard that I have seen every year since Brian and I started dating.  Pretty neat huh?