"on the Lynn Valley Trail... On June 21, the trail's only known showy lady's slipper, a rare and beautiful orchid hidden amongst the weeds near the Blueline Road, was dug from the ground... and taken to a car by an elderly couple.
The plant is Canada's largest orchid... It cannot be transplanted and will die, said trail association president Gordon Pennington. Its only hope is to be returned to its natural soil, where it stands a better chance for survival. Pennington is making an appeal that it either be returned to him or be quietly replanted where it was found. If that happens, no further action will be taken and the couple's names will not be publicized, Pennington said. The trail, established and maintained by volunteers since 1993, is home to many rare species. Several smaller yellow orchids can be found along the path. But the delicate pink and white flower, a favourite of volunteers, is the only known one on the trail. The showy lady's slipper needs the bacteria found in its native soil to survive. "People have to realize anything they see on the trail is to be left on the trail," Pennington said. "It's not theirs for the taking." It is possible the culprits didn't know they were signing the plant's death warrant by plucking it from the ground. But, he said, "These are older people and you assume they know what they're doing." Alan McKeown, who works for the University of Guelph, did an inventory of the species along the trail in the late 1990s. He knew of only one showy lady's slipper. "It's tough to make them grow outside their environment." The plant has fuzzy leaves and stem and grows to about 75 centimetres. It blooms in early summer. There's no legislation preventing its removal from public, non-conservation area lands, but they should be left where they are, said Ron Gould, a biologist with the Ministry of Natural Resources in Aylmer." source : http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Local/2006/06/29/1658825-sun.html ************* Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
