I let the lawn go weedy and mossy near the woods that circle my property. It’s messy and untidy. It’s also work. I have to pull White Pine seedlings to keep the trees from encroaching. There are ungainly weeds to keep in check. But, those shady, semi-wild verges are where these plants live:
Pink Lady’s Slippers. They’re an orchid, and propagate with the help of fungus in the soil and bees in the air. The pink ones grace my property in May. They’re pretty, but soon wilt into the weedy edge. An untidy lawn is worth having for these moments of ephemeral beauty. Isn’t that true of one’s life, as well?
I guess we have an untidy yard, as well, because we also have these. I love them! I look forward to them every year!!! I also read somewhere that they are somewhat rare. Do you know if this is true?
Oh! And ours actually surprised us in early March this year, because we have had such a warm winter.
They are somewhat rare as those woodland verges are not welcome in many modern yards. The rarer version is the yellow Lady’s Slipper. Because they need that (still unidentified) fungus, it is hard to propagate and transplant.
These remind me of my childhood. We used to have them in our yard when I was a kid. Beautiful!
p.s. nice to see the girls (and candy) enjoying the sun today after all the yucky rain we’ve had. :)
We used to have these in our yard but I think the “GIRLS” found them.
I have never seen those before! Gorgeous!
They love the acid soil especially with the white pines nearby.
How beautiful. You’re so fortunate to have them growing right there in your own natural woodland.
The lady’s slipper is the state flower of Minnesota! Yes, very rare. Oof dah!