Elusive Orchid

I am pleased to introduce the Fairy Slipper (Calypso bulbosa) to these pages. I have been looking for this elusive indigenous wild orchid for several years now and was finally able to enjoy some on my recent excursion to Bear Hill Park in Saanich. They are very small and inconspicuous and tend to grow in shady hidden areas on the forest floor, never very profusely. Although I saw about a dozen altogether, I never saw more than three in a group. They are only found in conjunction with a specific kind of fungus and the tiny seeds will not germinate if the fungus is not present. Nor will the plant survive if transplanted to an area without that specific fungus, so if you should be lucky enough to see one, leave it undisturbed