epipactis

I wonder how many people on their hikes fail to notice this frail and subtle native orchid. Epipactis gigantea, the stream orchid is a fairly common orchid in the west, as far as orchids go. I remember seeing them along streams in Southern California deserts, and I've seen them in northern California as well.

I suspect that many do not notice and many do not care, given the amount of trampled plants that I came across on my hike. But to me, coming across this orchid in early June, gives me the sense of childish wonder, as if I had come across a fairy land.

This orchid is not very impressive in color or size. But I find the green petals with rust red lips incredibly beautiful and enchanting. They remind me of the Chinese cymbidium orchids, such as Cymbidium ensifolium.

We have not seen rain here for many months and as we hiked up to where we usually find these orchids, all of the native plants were in a dry, semi-dormant state, waiting for some moisture to fall from the skies. The entire way up, we passed perhaps 2 flowers on the Apache plume (Fallugia paradoxa), the mock orange (Philadelphus microphyllus) barely had any leaves, and all of the waferbush (Ptelea trifoliata) was completely defoliated by a web worm.

I had little hope of seeing these orchids, which grow streamside, in swampy soil, yet on hillsides so that the water is constantly moving past their roots, as I imagine another orchid Phragmipedium longifolium does in its native habitat from Costa Rica to Ecuador.

But despite the extreme dryness of the land on the way there, in the very small area in which the ground orchid resides, the ground was moist and there was even some open water, and they were in full bloom. As my friends played mbira, calling the spirits of the ancestors, an enormous butterfly came by, seemingly an embodied spirit attracted to the sounds, and I felt that I had stepped into the land of fairy.




If you come across the stream orchid Epipactis gigantea, I beg you to take care not to step on the fragile, easily crushed stems, like so many people seem to do on their rush to get from one point to another, or when stepping off the path to go around other hikers. Keep an eye out for this subtle beauty. It's worth it.