ladyslipper orchid

I know it's difficult to grow this. Well done!!!!!!

what a treasure this is.

Tommymoo, I could not be that lucky. This is a wild one - I've never attempted to grow these because they're pricey, first of all, $50 or so, and also, they're difficult to establish. This photo was taken about 5 years ago. You'll never guess where they were growing (and there were dozens of them). I was living in an apartment complex west of Atlanta. Between the complex and a subdivision there was a small natural area with a 1/4 mile long walking trail. And there they were. How they survived there, I don't know. Hardly anybody used that little walking trail, so they probably remained unnoticed. I remember going for a stroll after a particularly difficult day at work and coming across these orchids. You can't imagine how much the sight of them raised my spirits. I've never seen them growing wild anyplace else.

Lauram, this orchid looks very similar to the one I know. When I was an elementary school girl, I visited a farmer's house near the school where 3,000 "Cypripedium japonicum" grew wild in the bamboo grove as part of school's nature walk. I thought the shape was disgusting at the time.. I was just a silly ordinary kid who had zero interest in nature! The orchid is now a protected species because it's threatened with extinction. Here's the link to the photos:

http://cccpcamera.photo-web.cc/My_Picture/Flower/Kumagaisou/index.htm

that must have been a sight to see...wow