Day 209: Two weeks ago, the Calypso Orchids (Calypso bulbosa) were just beginning to bud, but warmer temperatures have brought them into full flower by the hundreds in Longmire Campground. Even as brightly coloured as they are, they're easy to miss, the flowering stems standing at most four inches high and often coming up through a thick layer of moss. The flowers may measure as much as an inch and a half from the "horns" on the lower lip to the tip of the tallest petal. Partially mycoheterotrophic (also referred to as "hemi-mycoheterotrophic"), each plant has a single leaf which allows for some photosynthesis; otherwise, the nutrients necessary for Calypso's survival are broken down by soil mycorrhizae into a form this dainty native orchid can utilize.
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