Autumn Coralroot Orchid Blooming in Ottawa County

 Autumn Coralroot Orchid - September 8 2021 - Ottawa County Michigan

This one was really blooming! 

 In the photo below you can see how many of these orchids are growing alongside the trail.  Most don’t bloom at all.  I have visited this orchid several times this month.  They are very small plants and tiny flowers.  

Ross Coastal Plain Marsh - September 4 2019

We took a four hour stroll through the woods of  Ross Coastal Plain Marsh.  We walked about 3.7 miles.  It was a wonderful, cool day, in the mid 60's. 

This is the place I first found Autumn Coralroot, several years ago.  It is a tiny orchid, occasionally you can catch a glimpse of its pretty pink spotted flower. 



 We also saw a few Nodding Ladies Tresses, another small orchid.

 This mushroom was about 6 inches across, more blue than purple.

   Mud Lake

  

A fun find on the first day of November 2018

 November 1st  My sister, Sugar, and I decided to meet up at Rosy Mound Natural Area, an Ottawa County Park.  The leaves were so bright and the temperature mild, we took advantage of the opportunity. 
I walked at this park the end of September and found several Autumn Coralroot Orchid plants growing here but they were done blooming.  Or so I thought.
 
 As we walked along I kept an eye out for the orchid, wondering if I could even find the tiny plants again.  Then, there one was, an Autumn Coralroot!  And it was blooming!  We saw several more of the plants although no more that were blooming.   

The petals are small and quite hard to see.  I put a leaf behind the flower for a background and to make it easier to focus on the tiny petals.  I know it's not much, but those are petals, so yes it is blooming. 
 

Here is one of the clusters of coralroot.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We enjoyed our walk, the beautiful trees, and each other's company.  I am so luck to have family nearby to get me out there.  You just never know what you might see on a walk, even if you have been to the same place many times!

Walks from the first half of September 2017

Here is a run down of the first half of September 2017...



September 2nd - Hofma Preserve, Grand Haven Township with Betsy.  We even found a violet blooming!

September 3rd, it was Bass River Recreation Area with Betsy to check on the Closed Gentian.  It was blooming beautifully!

September 4th, Riverside Park in Ottawa County with Mike.  It almost looks like spring, so much green.

 Cardinalflower with some evening sun.

This is my makeshift returnables carrying tool.  Mike likes to pick up cans and bottles to return to the store for the 10 cent return fee. Someone rarly remembers to bring a bag to carry the dirty cans. 

But he found many cans and bottles, and his pockets were full.  So I helped out.  We were probably ahead by $2.00!

A pretty mix of wildflowers and vines.

September 5th, was Ross Coastal Plain Marsh in Van Buren County with Marie.

 On the way to Ross Coastal Plain Marsh...

 Mud Lake at RCPM

                                                            Purple Bladderwort

A huge snake!

Ross is where we first found Autumn Coralroot several years ago.  So I was watching closely for it as we walked along the trail.  We take an "in and out trail", and on the way in I didn't see any of these orchids.  But as we headed back to the car, Marie spotted it!  Good eye, Marie.

Autumn Coralroot (Corallorhiza odontorhiza) Orchid Family

A quarter to show how tiny this flower is, if you catch it blooming.

On the way home from Ross Coastal Plain Marsh... Beautiful day for a walk in the woods.

September 10 Bass River Recreation Area with Betsy

 We found an orchid blooming!  Nodding Ladies' Tresses (Spiranthes cernua) Orchid family

 Chickory

 One of the many shallow ponds at BRRA

Cardinalflower



Bottle Gentian (Gentiana andrewsii)
Gentian family

 Frogfruit (Verbena Family)

 Monkeyflower (Mimulus ringens)
Figwort family

 September 12 Bass River Recreation Area with Marie

 Common Chicory (Cichorium intybus)
Aster family

 Nodding Ladies' Tresses

 Gerardia (Gerardia purpurea)
 Now named...
Purple False Foxglove (Agalinis purpurea)
Figwort family



Orange-fruited Horse Gentian, (Triosteum aurantiacum), is a member of the honeysuckle family.  Note the orange fruits.  

 Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)  Bellflower family

 This is one of the dried up shallow ponds, usually there is 6 to 8 inches of water standing in this pond.

 Even with the dry ponds, the Bottle Gentian was blooming beautifully!

Bottle Gentian  

  

In one area of this park we find the white variety of Bottle Gentian growing.

 September 15 Crockery Creek Natural Area in Ottawa County.  This is another trail Mike and I visit often.

Okay, that brings me up to mid September!  Next time we can finish up September adventures then into October.