I miss seeing the Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid that grew a couple of years near my pond and I keep hoping that a new plant will appear. The blossoms seems like they are dancing and enjoying the day.

Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid Blossoms

A month has passed by since the normal blooming date of the lesser purple fringed orchid so it appears my one lone orchid did not survive the harsh winter and it may be another 30 years before I spot another one. A new tuber is produced at the base of the stem each year and remains dormant until next spring. The tuber is the only part of the plant which survives the winter and produces a new aerial stem in the summer. But with the lack of snow cover early in the winter to provide some insulation, the cold winter temperatures may have kill my only fringed orchid tuber so there was no dancing purple blossoms this year.

Missing the Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid

My lone wild orchid did return this year again, just several weeks later than the prior years, but I was glad to see it blooming again. The blossoms open at the bottom of the stem first and work they way up to the top. The individual blossoms of the Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid, which look like dancing angels, are about three quarters of an inch long.

Return of the Orchid

While vegetables and flowers may be shown at the fair, this native orchid would not be on display and it is very difficult to grow in a garden. And after blooming two years in a row, I have not spotted the Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid this year yet, so I might have to wait another 35 years before spotting another one again.

Missing Orchid

When I mowed the lawn on Tuesday, I went pass what remained of the orchid which is now a dried stem with little cups that hopefully hold some seeds to produce another orchid next year. The month time made a huge difference in the appearance of the flower, but even when it is blooming, the first blossoms are fading before the top buds open. Like the months and seasons, one fades away as the next takes hold with the future one on the horizon.

Orchid’s Past Glory

While some summer flowers seem to last a long time, like Black-eyed Susans, others make a brief appearance and then vanish, sometimes for years. My one lone Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid plant is about done blooming for the season, with just a few blossoms left on the top of the plant to dance in the wind.

The Last Dance

Every time I have been mowing the lawn this month, I have been watching an area just into the edge of a field looking for some purple pink color and yesterday I was rewarded. Last year I had spotted the Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid, which I hadn’t seen in the area for more than 30 years, so I wasn’t sure if it would sprout up this year again but it did near last year’s plant. The dancing petals look like they sliding down a water park slide when their arms raised up and have a fun time doing it.

Orchid Blossoms Flying

My rare find of the Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid while mowing the last week of July, is now fading away and only a few blossoms left but since I fenced it off, at least the deer didn’t eat it. And hopefully since the bee was working the blossoms, maybe there will be some seeds so next year there would be more than just one plant blooming.

The Orchid Before Fading