Isotria medeoloides Close-up

Description:

Doing some cleanup of files and found this crop of Isotria medeoloides (small whorled pogonia) that I had not posted. This native orchid to eastern North America is federally listed as threatened but I suspect that it is overlooked in the spring because of the small size and color. Two new colonies of the plant have been found in NC within the past 15 years. Normal flowering is a single bloom but doubles are pretty common. Here is a link to a photo of the seed pod - www.flickr.com/photos/ncorchid/3573554763/in/set-1003778/