Up Early

Day 192: They are up a month early, and the Calypso Orchids are appearing in dozens of unexpected places in the lower forest. Watch where you step if you go looking for these little beauties. From single ground-hugging leaf to tip of tallest petal, Calypso bulbosa stands but six inches in height, easy to miss despite their vivid color. I have pointed out a single flower or two to a group of people at my favourite grove of them with the response, "I see it!" Then I direct them to hunker down or get on their knees to take another look. The new perspective invariably brings the reaction, "Oh, gosh! There are HUNDREDS of them!" If perhaps not hundreds, people will be amazed that they could have been standing among several dozen without seeing even one. If you spot one Calypso, stop where you are and have a look from a lower angle before proceeding. Calypso's flower is crucial to its survival. If it is crushed or the stem is broken, the plant will die.

I'm going to throw that big word out to you again: mycoheterotrophy. Calypsos are among a very specialized group of plants called partial mycoheterotrophs. That means that in addition to photosynthesizing via the customary mechanism for plants (i.e., through a leaf). they also form a symbiotic relationship with a fungus (often one specific species) in order to extract nutrients from the soil, hence the adjective "partial." On the other hand, "obligate" mycoheterotrophs such as Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora) rely entirely on a fungal component to sustain them.

We experienced a very light winter here in the Pacific Northwest with a much lower than normal snowpack. Although this is purely conjecture, it makes me wonder if the abundance of Calypsos could be due in some degree to proliferation of their symbiotic fungal counterpart, a response to a warmer environment. Many plants are emerging earlier than usual, and how that will affect the wildflower season in the high country remains to be seen.