I owe a fellow kayaker a big thanks for not one but two of the fancy (to me, anyways...) orchids I saw on Spider Island:^[1] he spotted this clump of snakemouth orchids, aka Pogonia ophioglossoides, and, knowing my obsession with wildflowers, made a point of showing them to me. What kindness!

I had not seen any pink orchids this exciting (or large) since spotting moccasin flowers, aka pink lady slippers in 2016 2008—nearly twenty years ago.

Wikipedia notes of these flowers,

Bloom times typically last for a long period from June to August,^[2] which is prolonged due to the staggered flowering times of individual plants in a given colony...Colonies of rose pogonia are found growing in wet habitats with acidic soils often containing sphagnum moss. These may include bogs, fens, marshes, and meadows.

We were on rock, but rock worn enough to form longstanding puddles which mosses would colonize, providing just enough soil for flowers such as these (and blue flags) to grow. I was absolutely fascinated by just how tiny these little patches were, often only 6–8 (15–20cm) inches across. Also, deeply grateful that we avoided the marshy conditions that would've meant zillions of mosquitoes; that the islands biota was limited also meant no large animals to worry over.^[3]

As with the moccasin flowers, I took many, many photographs and attempted to paint them; I will note, my skills at botanical illustration have, if anything, decreased over the past two decades. But that's a rant for another time.

Though considered “least concern”, I had never seen them before,^[4] and was utterly enchanted. They helped to make our trip very special for me:)

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Sylvus Tarn