Calypso Rising

Day 209: Today I took advantage of my lunch hour to make another circuit into Calypso's grove. I found a few just beginning to open, their heads still nodding, looking somewhat like miniature lobster claws rising above the moss.

When I got back to the office, I remembered my self-appointed mission and asked Kevin if there was anyone I could talk to about closing the campsite where the greatest number of these tiny orchids grows. We talked about it at length, and since it's one of only two group sites in the Volunteer campground, it would seem that the most viable option is to sign the area to warn people not to walk where these sensitive plants are grouped.

At the conclusion of our talk, Kevin went out to see the grove for himself. When he came back to the office, he told me, "At first, I thought you must have been imagining things. I couldn't see any Calypsos in that site. But then I knelt down and looked more carefully and...they were EVERYWHERE!" I restated my point by responding, "That's what I mean. They're hard to see, and they just get stomped. And," I reiterated, "if the flower stalk is broken, the root dies. They rely on the blossom for photosynthesis."

If nothing else comes of today, Calypso has a stronger friend in Kevin, and his voice is more likely to be heeded than mine.

Rallying for Calypso!