Nodding Lady’s Tresses (Spiranthes cernua)

September 21st, 2012. The next promising roads after the Coleman River Road and the Tallulah River – Tate City roads were the Popcorn – Plum Orchard roads, still in Rabun County.

Popcorn Road drops quite steeply from US-76 and then climbs quite steeply again. When it drops down ino the next valley, the road fords and unnamed creek and curves slightly to the left. The area on the outside of the curve is very wet in the path of the drainage from a spring – water is running; it’s wetter than a seep. The orchids were growing in the middle of this wet area in the full afternoon sun.

A section of the patch of orchids. The flowering stems were much more visible than they appear in this photograph.

Closer, and …

still closer. There were probably about two dozen plants in this area that extended further up the road.

Views of an individual stem …

 in the sunlight, and…

in the shade when a cloud moved over.

A closer view of the stem.

A close view of the flowering section of the stem, and…

closer views of individual flowers. These were still blooming on October 20^th when we drove by this area again.

Spiranthes cernua (Nodding Lady’s Tresses) is native to the United States where it’s found from Maine west to Wisconsin and south to Nebraska, Texas and Georgia; it’s not been documented in Florida. In Georgia, its been documented in counties throughout the state.

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Identification Resources:

Southeastern Flora: Spiranthes cernua (Nodding Lady’s Tresses)

Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Spiranthes cernua (Nodding Ladies'-tresses)

Distribution:

United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database: Spiranthes cernua (Nodding Lady’s Tresses)

Northern Slender Lady's Tresses (Spiranthes lacera)

August 25^th, 2012. I always think of orchids as plants loving the moist, cool atmosphere in woods so it’s always a surprise to see them in the open in full sun. But there it was. A lady’s tresses orchid standing in a west-facing location in the full afternoon sun in 90-F temperatures. Along the road to Pond 2A in the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge in Jones County, Georgia. It was s beautiful specimen, standing 12 to 15 minutes tall. It was in such good condition that I had to sit beside it to photograph it.

There it is! Right in the center of the photo. A lone orchid standing in the open in the afternoon sun in the 90s F.

Looking down at it

View of the flowering part

Closer view of the top

Closer view of the mid-section. The flowers are in perfect shape.

*****

Closer views of individual flowers.

Still closer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in such beautiful condition. It’s one of those lucky ‘right place-right time’ things.

We found another patch of lady’s tresses beside another road in the refuge. The flowers were older but a Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus) was working them.

Spiranthes lacera (Northern Slender Lady's Tresses, Southern Slender Ladies'-tresses) is native to the United States, where it’s found in eastern states from New England to Wisconsin and Nebraska and south to Texas. In Georgia, it’s found mainly in counties in north Georgia although it’s not been formally documented from Jones County.

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Identification resources:

- Southeastern Flora: Spiranthes lacera (Northern Slender Lady's Tresses) 

- Name that Plant: Native and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Spiranthes lacera var. gracilis (Southern Slender Ladies'-tresses)

- Missouri Plants: Spiranthes lacera

- Connecticut Botanical Society, Connecticut Wildflowers: Slender Lady’s Tresses (Spiranthes lacera)

Distribution:

- United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database: Spiranthes lacera (Northern Slender Lady's Tresses) 

- University of North Carolina Herbarium: Spiranthes lacera var. gracilis 

Bug Guide: Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus)

Slender Lady's Tresses Orchid (Spiranthes lacera): Johns Creek Lake, South Carolina

We pulled into the parking lot at Johns Creek Lake in the Sumter National Forest in Union County, South Carolina last Saturday morning. And there in the shade at the edge of the parking lot was a…

single lady’s tresses orchid. Just one. I looked around but there were no others to be seen.

A slightly closer view

Buds at the top and opened flowers further down the stem

A closer view of the open flowers; the green ‘centers’ are visible

A close up view

I believe this is Spiranthes lacera (Slender Lady's Tresses) is native to the United States and grows in the eastern United States from Quebec and Ontario in Canada to Texas. It has been reported from several counties – although not Union County – in South Carolina. In this location it is probably the Southern Lady’s Tresses orchid.
Click on an image to view a larger image

Distribution:
- United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database: Spiranthes lacera var. gracilis (Slender Lady's Tresses)
- University of North Carolina Herbarium: Spiranthes gracilis var. gracilis

Identification resources:
- Southeastern Flora: Spiranthes lacera var. gracilis (Northern Slender Lady's Tresses)
- Missouri Plants: Spiranthes lacera (Slender Lady's Tresses)
- Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Spiranthes gracilis var. gracilis (Southern Slender Ladies'-tresses)