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RARE AND VULNERABLE CRANE-FLY ORCHID BLOOMS IN FAIRMOUNT PARK

Cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor), Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor), Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Tipularia discolor

Cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor), Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor), Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This is what it looks like passing by . Its about 20 inches tall, a slender purple stem, almost invisible.  It blends into the forest, to be hardly noticed.  That’s right, this plant is not sold in garden centers. Even if it was, it would most likely die, being that it is so specific about its habitat it only grows under specialized conditions.   It requires a mycorrhizal fungus to grow along its roots symbiotically in order to survive.

Cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor), Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor), Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

We had found this plant in March, when all that was visible was its one leaf, which had survived the winter.  The distinctive leaf was also hardly visible on the forest floor.  The leaf grows after the flower blooms.  The leaf , produced in the fall, holds on all winter, capturing the sunlight needed to flower.  The leaf is distinctive for its purple underside. The leaf we found in March was dead and gone by June.  Then in late July, the flower, all by itself, emerges from the Earth.

Cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor), Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor), Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The flower carries the purple color up its stem .  The  light green parts of the flower contrast nicely with the purple.

Cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor), Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor), Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Finding the flowering Cranefly Orchid was an adventure.  We had created an elaborate secret code to remember its exact location.  (A snag, a shadow, dead branches  mark the spot, an arrangement of sticks…)

Cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor), Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor), Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The flower stalk growing individually, without leaves, is reminiscent of the Naked-Flowered Tick-trefoil we featured in our last post.  The blooming Cranefly Orchid turned out to be a great discovery on a hot and humid Sunday afternoon in the park.

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TICK-TREFOIL BLOOMS IN MORRIS PARK

Desmodium nudiflorum

Naked-flowered Tick-trefoil (Desmodium nudiflorum) blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia
Naked-flowered Tick-trefoil (Desmodium nudiflorum) blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia

In just one small spot this native wildflower blooms in the middle of the summer when there is little else blooming. It sends up a leafless stalk and blooms away for a couple of weeks.

Naked-flowered Tick-trefoil (Desmodium nudiflorum) blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia
Naked-flowered Tick-trefoil (Desmodium nudiflorum) blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia

The leaves grow separately from the flower stalk, giving this plant its common name, the Naked- flowered Tick Trefoil.  Every summer  we have fun finding this shy sylvan beauty flowering in its habitat.  Its flowering marks the peak of summer.  When it is done, the most subtle hints of fall begin.

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AMERICAN CHESTNUT SPROUTS SEEDLING IN MORRIS PARK

American Chestnut seedling, Morris Park, Philadelphia
American Chestnut seedling, Morris Park, Philadelphia

This seedling is good to see. After last year’s flowering and fruit production, we are not surprised to see a seedling of Castenea dentata growing below the blighted parents.  One of the parent trees of this youthful and vigorous seedling arrived this spring as a ghost, a multi-branched silhouette  of what it once was.  The Chestnut blight had destroyed the tree.  Its roots were able to push out more sprouts and the being itself is still alive.

For the time being this seedling is completely healthy, and may remain so for a few years to come. It is good  that the American Chestnut trees in Morris Park are still functioning reproductively; they flower, fruit and drop seed.  The seed is viable and is sprouting.

American Chestnut seedling, Morris Park, Philadelphia
American Chestnut seedling, Morris Park, Philadelphia

This section of Morris Park has for the most part, been left undisturbed. Enough so that the Chestnut trees are still intact. Many advancing introduced and invasive species are now growing amidst the Chestnuts.  Ailanthus altissima,  The Tree of heaven, Aralia elata,  the Japanese Angelica Tree are within a few feet of this seedling.  If we are not here to control these invasives, what will this forest be like in 20 years?  These invasive trees are aggressive invaders. Mature specimens throw out thousands of seeds every year, all the while sending out a vast, dense network of suckering roots that cover large areas of forest.  The resulting trees crowd out the natives and create dense shade.

American Chestnut seedling, Morris Park, Philadelphia
American Chestnut seedling, Morris Park, Philadelphia

There was a dense cluster of the invasive exotic Japanese Angelica tree growing in the exact spot of this Chestnut seedling.  Early this year, an effort was made to control this invasive tree and there was a resulting change in the light conditions on the ground.  Perhaps the sprouting and growth of this seedling can be attributed to the changed conditions of light in the area?