With a Little Help From a Friend . . .

I feared I would never see them again, the spectacular Yellow Lady's Slippers I used to find in an area woods.  One by one they had disappeared from where I once saw them.   But my friend Dan Wall told me not to worry.  He knew where many were blooming now, and he graciously led me right to them.  What a pal you are, Dan! And what joy I felt to see these gorgeous native orchids again, and to know they still had a secure home in the same woods where I always found them.

I was happy to note that most of the plants Dan showed me grew way off the trails that wind through these woods, and some were well hidden among massive boulders on steep rocky ridges that required considerable scrambling to explore.  May these factors suffice to repel any poachers!

Although we were almost too dazzled by the sight of these golden beauties to notice much else in these woods today, I did note the presence of Walking Fern among the mosses that covered some  of the boulders. I have found Walking Fern in this same woods before, but never had I seen these unusual ferns sprouting these wee little fiddleheads.  So cute!

And it certainly would have been hard to ignore these golden beauties, as well.  Especially when a beam of sunlight picked out the bright-yellow flowers held high above the rosettes of rounded basal leaves.  I knew I had seen this species of Ragwort before, on a similar limestone substrate, but it wasn't until I got home and checked my Newcomb's Wildflower Guide that I remembered the name. This is Round-leaved Ragwort (Packera obovata), a species I find less frequently than the related Golden Ragwort, although they are not a rare plant in the state.  As with the Yellow Lady's Slippers, I hadn't seen Round-leaved Ragworts in quite some time, so I was delighted to make their acquaintance again.