"Crane-fly Orchid flower... They're late this year... diminutive... talcum powder-like seed... the Crane-fly Orchid, Tipularia discolor... stalk of greenish-brown... flowers. there are no leaves. The flowering stalk is a wire-like stem from 8" to 18" tall...
generally occur in small colonies... If you observe the forest floor carefully, you may detect the remains of a long-ago-fallen tree that has... decomposed to provide a favorable nursery bed appropriate for the very particular growth requirements of this terrestrial... ... obscure, but abundant... more easily located during winter walks. The single, egg-shaped leaf, dark green above and burgundy colored beneath, emerges in the early fall to take advantage of the winter sunlight reaching the forest floor through the bare branches of the forest canopy... it goes dormant in the spring" URL :http://www.carrborocitizen.com/main/2007/08/02/opening-soon-in-a-woods-near-you/ see photos : http://www.carrborocitizen.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/craneflyplant.jpg http://www.carrborocitizen.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/p7290095.jpg ************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
