Some favorite orchid sites were revisited in Pennsylvania and New Jersey this summer. A well known site for Yellow Fringed Orchid (Platanthera ciliaris) and Northern White Fringed orchid (Platanthera blephariglottis var. blephariglottis) and their hybrid (P. bicolor) was found to be doing well, with hundreds of blooming orchids observed.

A site for Purple Fringeless Orchid (Platanthera peramoena) along the Susquehanna River was found to be in very bad shape and appeared to have sustained a heavy mowing - by the farmer whose cornfield it abuts - late in the season. Sadly, only five depaupurate plants were observed. I am currently working with the Pennsylvania Fish and Game Commission to have the site added to an adjoining preserve.

The New Jersey Pine Barrens station for Yellow Fringeless Orchid (Platanthera integra) was in much better shape, with forty seven blooming plants counted. The site was under one to two feet of water due to recent heavy rains, making for challenging photographic conditions, but the plants seemed unfazed. Three plants (one in bloom) were discovered north of the main site, which is exciting as this is the only known population in NJ. It is good to see that it is not all in one location.

3 prime-blooming Tipularia discolor were observed at a nearby Nature Conservancy property where we fought our way through an almost impenetrable wall of cat briar and muck - similar to trying to enter Sleeping Beauty's Castle - to reach a "secret garden" with thriving colonies of Goodyera pubescens (Downy Rattlesnake Plantain) Lycopodium dendroideum (Round-branch Ground-pine) and the Tipularia. By this time it was past 6 pm and the light was fading fast. Even though I was using a ring-flash, it was very hard to properly focus in the dim forest light.

I had the pleasure of Eric Lamont's company in the field in Pennsylvania; Dave Taft and I explored the wilds of New Jersey together.