"wasn't known to exist on Colorado's Western Slope... discovered in the Roaring Fork Valley this summer.
The Ute ladies' tresses (Spiranthes diluvialis Sheviak) was found in a wet meadow near Catherine Store Road by... botanist Mindy Wheeler and biologist Eric Patterson... surveying wetlands in the area... Wheeler made the discovery while the orchid was blooming. ... it wasn't known to be on the Western Slope... After the initial discovery on private property, the Ute ladies' tresses... were found on adjacent U.S. Bureau of Land Management property and a wetlands mitigation site owned by the city of Carbondale. "It's a range extension of this species," said Ellen Mayo, a botanist/plant ecologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Ecological Services office in Grand Junction. The orchids found in the Carbondale area may be isolated so they provide a good addition to the genetic pool. "It's a healthy, robust population," Mayo said, adding that the habitat appeared ideal for the species. The orchid got its name because its flowers appear braided around the stem. The peak blooming period in mid- to late-August in the Roaring Fork Valley... The orchid is a perennial with a stem that can grow eight to 20 inches tall... The species is characterized by whitish, stout, ringent... flowers... The orchid is currently considered threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act... prior research indicates this particular orchid was once considered extinct. It has been located in Jefferson, Boulder, Weld, El Paso and Larimer counties in the Front Range and Moffat County in northwest Colorado. Since 1992 its range has expanded from Colorado, Utah and Nevada into Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska and Washington... Lowsky [Jonathan... a wildlife biologist] said he is concerned that the habitat for the rare orchid may be disappearing. The plant is found in wetlands, river bottoms and irrigated meadows. As ranches get redeveloped, those meadows may no longer be irrigated." URL : http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20071220/NEWS/146479309/-1/rss02 ************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
