Common Milkweed – asclepias syriaca

© 2012 Patty Hankins

I don’t know about you – but milkweed was one of the first native plants I learned about – long before I even knew what a native plant was. I just remember seeing the round balls of blossoms and having lots of fun blowing around the seeds from the milkweed pods in the fall. I’m not even sure if I knew that they were  the same plant – but I certainly knew what they were.

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Common Milkweed – asclepias syriaca- is a very common and useful wildflower. Native to most of the US and Canada, milkweed is a member of the Asclepiadaceae family. Another popular member of this family is butterfly weed. Milkweed grows to about 6 feet tall – with multiple balls of blossoms on each stalk. The balls of blossoms I photographed were about 4 inches in diameter.

The flowers of the milkweed and other members of the Asclepiadaceae family are very distinctive. Each flower has five parts with inward curving horns at the top – and outward curving umbels below. Common milkweed blooms in late spring through mid-summer.  

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Milkweed has a long history of being a very useful plant – not just for humans – but also for wildlife. The fluffy seeds of the milkweed pods were used by early settlers to stuff mattresses and pillows. During World War II, the fluff was used in life preservers and uniform linings. The fibers can be used to create paper, thread and cloth, while various dyes have been made from the juice. While eating large quantities of milkweed can be poisonous, it has been used to flavor soups and the tender spring stalks were eaten as a vegetable.

Milkweed has been used medicinally for centuries. Native Americans used it to treat everything from warts to stomach ailments. Some tribes used is as a contraceptive. Milkweeds also contain latex – which means the juice can be used as an instant wound covering. The family name for these useful flowers comes from Asclepius – the Greek hero of medical arts.

© 2012 Patty Hankins

In the natural world, milkweed plays a vital role in the circle of life. Larvae of several species of butterflies, including monarchs, feed on the leaves – which helps make the caterpillars and butterflies toxic to birds. Once the caterpillar emerges from it’s cocoon, the butterflies feed on the nectar of the milkweed plants.

© 2012 Patty Hankins

 More information about Common Milkweed is available on the following websites

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Missouri Botanical Gardens

Native American Ethnobotany

Native Plant Network

Robert Freckman Herbarium – UW Stevens Point

USDA Plant Profiles

Orchids In Black and White!

As you’ve probably noticed I love color! It’s one of the first things I often notice about a flower is what color it is. Is there more than one shade of a color in the flower? Is there more than one color in the flower?

But recently, I’ve been processing some of my flower photographs as black and white images. In black and white, I see the patterns and structural details of the flowers in ways that I don’t see them when I looking at the flowers in color.

Here are a few of my recent orchid photographs – processed as black and white images. I”d love to know what you think of them

Sweet Charm Epidendrum Orchids © 2012 Patty Hankins

Stardust Epidendrum Orchid © 2012 Patty Hankins

Vanda Orchid © 2012 Patty Hankins

Vanda Orchid © 2012 Patty Hankins

Vanda Orchids © 2012 Patty Hankins

Epidendrum Orchids

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Epidendrum orchids are one of my favorite groups of orchids. I love the delicate little flowers, and what looks almost like a little face on each one. I’ve seen them in amazing shades of red, orange, yellow and pink.

Epidendrum orchids are native to the western hemisphere – found from South Carolina to Argentina. They grow in all sorts of locations and conditions – ranging from jungles to along the shore.

I’ve photographed Epidendrum orchids on both of my recent visits to Longwood Gardens, I hope you enjoy my photos of them.

Sweet Charm Epidendrum Orchids

© 2012 Patty Hankins

© 2012 Patty Hankins

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Starburst Epidendrum Orchids

© 2012 Patty Hankins

© 2012 Patty Hankins

© 2012 Patty Hankins

© 2012 Patty Hankins

And an unidentified pink and white Epidendrum orchid

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Vanda Orchids

For me, one of the highlights of Longwood Gardens’ Orchid Extravaganza is the Vanda Orchids on display. They are some of the most spectacular orchids I’ve ever seen. The Vanda Orchids are known for their great colors and flattened flowers. Native to much of Asia and parts of Australia, Vanda Orchids are an important part of the worldwide flower market. Many species of Vanda Orchids are endangered due to habitat destruction. Several species – including the Blue Orchid (Vanda coerulea) are on the list of plants that are forbidden to be exported from their native countries.

Here are some photos of the various Vanda Orchids.

© 2012 Patty Hankins

© 2012 Patty Hankins

© 2012 Patty Hankins

© 2012 Patty Hankins

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Pakcong Blue – Banjong Vanda Orchid

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Packchong Blue – Ben Vanda Orchid

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Sansai Blue Vanda Orchid

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Spathoglottis Orchids

On a couple of visits to local botanical gardens at the end of 2011 I spotted some orchids the likes of which I’d never seen before. They all were labeled as being Spathoglottis orchids. Also known as ground orchids, the spathoglottis orchids are evergreen plants with delicate flowers.

The first set I photographed were the Citrus Cooler Orchids

© 2012 Patty Hankins

© 2012 Patty Hankins

© 2012 Patty Hankins

I then found another set of spathoglottis orchids labeled as Citrus Cooler that were totally different colors than the original one’s I had photographed.

© 2012 Patty Hankins

I also found some Coconut White Orchids

© 2012 Patty Hankins

And finally some Golden Passion Orchids

© 2012 Patty Hankins

© 2012 Patty Hankins

© 2012 Patty Hankins

I really like the bright colors I’ve seen in some of the Spathoglottis orchids – I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for more of these delicate orchids to photograph.

Cranefly Orchids – Tipularia discolor

© 2011 Patty Hanknis

The same day I photographed the Yellow Fringed Orchid – I also found a photographed a second native orchid – the Cranefly Orchid (tipularia discolor). Cranefly orchids are one of three members of the tiularia genus. The other two species are native to Japan and the Himalayas.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

The Cranefly orchids are one of the most unusual native orchids I’ve ever seen. Its shades of green, purple and brown make it very hard to spot in the woods. What fascinated me about the orchid is the way the spurs of the flowers cross and created amazing patterns.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Cranefly orchids emerge as a single green glossy leaf  in the fall that last through the winter. In the spring, the leaves die back and a stem emerges that blooms in the summer. The purple stems grow up to 60 cm tall with greenish brown flowers. The flowers are about 1 cm across and tilt to one side or the other – which facilitates pollination by noctuids moths.  The pollen attaches the moths eyes as it visits the plants.

Native to much of the Eastern and Southern United States, they are listed as threatened or endangered in Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan and New York. They prefer to grow in forests with moist soil.

More information about cranefly orchids can be found at

Connecticut Botanical Society

Flora of North America

Florida’s Native and Naturalized Orchids

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Missouri Plants

USDA Plant Profiles

Wikipedia

Yellow Fringed Orchids – Platanthera ciliaris

Last summer I found (and photographed) my first fringed orchids – the Small Purple Fringed Orchid (platanthera psycodes). Recently, I photographed a related orchid – the Yellow Fringed Orchid (platanthera ciliaris). The Platanthera’s are a genus of orchids native to the Northern hemisphere – with 32 different species found in North America. They are terrestrial and have tubercules (a small rounded on the lip of the orchid).

© 2011 Patty Hankins

When I first spotted the Yellow Fringed Orchids – I knew immediately that they were related to the Purple Fringed Orchids. With the fringe along the edge of the flowers – I couldn’t imagine they could be anything but native orchids. As I looked more closely at the flowers – I was fascinated by how complex of a structure they have. Not only is there the fascinating fringe – but also what look like a pair of teeth on the upper lip of the flowers.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Yellow Fringed Orchids are native to much of the eastern and southern United States and Ontario, Canada. They are threatened or endangered in a number of states including Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. They can be found blooming in many areas through the months of July, August and September.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Yellow Fringed Orchids grow up to 100 cm tall. The racemes have up to 50 flowers – each about one inch from the sepal to the end of the lower lip. The flowers range in color from yellow to apricot to orange. They prefer to grow in moist boggy areas – often along roadsides or open pine areas.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Native Americans used the Yellow Fringed Orchids to treat everything from headaches to snakebites. They also used the roots as fish bait.

I love the look of the Yellow Fringed Orchids. Now that I know what they look like – and where they prefer to grow – I hope to find and photograph more of them.

For more information about Yellow Fringed Orchids, visit

Flora of North America

Florida’s Native and Naturalized Orchids

Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Michigan State University

Native American Ethnobotany

USDA Plant Profile

UW Stevens Point – Robert W Freckmann Herbarium

 

Wikipedia – Platanthera

New Photo: Blue Mystique Orchid – Center Detail

Blue Mystique Orchid – Center Detail (c) 2011 Patty Hankins

I’ve recently added a new photo – Blue Mystique Orchid – Center Detail – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.

Blue Mystique is one of the newest orchids available. Introduced earlier this year – the Blue Mystique orchids start out as white orchids – and then the blue color is infused into the orchids. They seem to be getting a mixed reaction from orchid fans – many of whom view them as artificial. I found the center of this orchid to be absolutely fascinating – multiple shades of blue, bright yellow, and spots! I knew as soon as I took a close look at this amazing flower that I was going to do my best to get a photo of the center details.

This photograph is available as either a 12X15″ or 20X26″ gallery-wrapped canvas.  You can order Blue Mystique Orchid – Center Detail from my website.

Pink Lady’s Slipper – Cypripedium acaule

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

Ok, I’ll admit it – like many people – Pink Lady’s Slippers (Cypripedium acaule) are one of my favorite spring wildflowers. I first saw one growing the wild a few years ago – and ever since – have loved finding them growing in the woods and photographing them. What surprised me was how many other people love them to. At shows, the pink lady’s slipper photograph is one of the most popular wildflower photographs I have. Usually several times a show, people would say -”oh wow – pink lady’s slippers – I haven’t seen them since I was a child . . .”  and then tell me about how often they used to see them – and how rarely they see them today.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

Last year, I was fortunate to photograph Pink Lady’s Slippers in several locations – including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Delaware Water Gap. Varieties of pink lady’s slippers can be found throughout much of the eastern United States and Canada. They are considered endangered or threatened in Illinois, Tennessee, and New York. The biggest threats to the Pink Lady’s Slippers are loss of habitat and harvesting of wild plants for sale. Since the lady’s slippers require very specific growing conditions – harvested wild plants rarely survive when transplanted.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

 

Pink Lady’s Slippers have a very distinctive look. Members of the orchid family, they grow to between 8 and 16 inches tall with a pink inflated slipper-like lip petal, red veins and a fissure down the front. It has two basal leaves – oblong with pointed tips.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

Lady Slipper’s grow in many environements – shade/partly shade. Some prefer moist soil – other prefer dry conditions. One set I’ve photographed several times in the Smokies are growing in very shallow soil on top of a rock.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

Known also as moccasin flowers, lady’s slippers get their name from an incorrect Latinization of the Greek word for Venus’ shoes.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

Pink Lady’s Slippers were used for several medicinal purposes. The roots have been used to treat everything from menstrual pain to kidney issues. It has been used to treat bites of mad dogs and as a love potion. And when taken with whiskey – it supposedly was used to treat general ailments. As always – please do not use this information about traditional uses as a recommendation of any plants for medicinal use.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

If you would like more information about Pink Lady’s Slippers – additional online information is available at

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Mountain Wild Flowers of America

Native American Ethnobotany

USDA Plant Profile

UW Stevens Point Database

New Photo: Small Purple Fringed Orchid

Small Purple Fringed Orchid (c) 2011 Patty Hankins

 

I’ve recently added a new photo –Small Purple Fringed Orchid – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.

When I’m out photographing wildflowers, I always keep my eye out for native orchids. I don’t know what it is about them – but I really enjoy photographing them. Last spring, I was driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway and spotted a couple of splashed of purple along the side of the road. So I pulled over and was absolutely amazed to see that I had found some Small Purple Fringed Orchids (Platanthera psycodes). It was the first time I’d ever seen them in person – and I just loved the texture and shape of the flowers. They reminded me of tiny dolls dancing in the wind. After I photographed the first set – I spotted (and photographed) several other sets of the Small Purple Fringed Orchids. I’d love to find more of the native orchids to photograph – so I’ll be keeping my eye out for them as I’m photographing this spring and summer.

This photograph is available as either a 10X10″ or 20X20″ gallery-wrapped canvas.  You can order Small Purple Fringed Orchid from my website.