Three orchid species and other interesting flora in Butterfly Valley Botanical Area, Plumas County, California — 2013-06-13

The last location we visited on our Native Orchid Conference field trip schedule was Butterfly Valley Botanical Area, a 500-acre site in Plumas County, California. Our field trip guide had told us that we should expect to see Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys or Sierra Bog orchid, Neottia (formerly Listera) convallarioides or Broadlipped or Broadleaved Twayblade orchid — take your choice, Platanthera sparsiflora or Sparse-flowered Bog orchid, two carnivorous species, and other interesting flora. There are more than 24 species of ferns in the immediate area, but I did not photograph any of them. The list of vascular plants at this site exceeds 500! So it should be obvious that this is a very rich botanical area.

Although there is a quicker way to get to the site, we were told to take Black Hawk Road off of Hwy. 70 to enter Butterfly Valley. That quicker way winds through residential areas, and apparently the residents don’t like to have scruffy and dishevelled botanists traveling through on their way to Butterfly Valley. This more than doubles the miles of dusty, gravel roads that one has to travel in order to reach Butterfly Valley. Hey, what’s an additional 10 miles of cough-inducing, bone jarring dirt roads to eager field-trippers?

Shortly before arriving at our final destination, the lead vehicle in our caravan pulled to the side of the narrow road. We all stopped and got out to see what the problem was. Well, there wasn’t a problem, there was an orchid! It was the first orchid we would be seeing on this final day of field trips, Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys or Sierra Bog orchid:

I regret that I did not take a wide-angle shot of the ditch containing the dozen or so plants, but I did not. However, the plants were tall, skinny spikes with tiny white flowers scattered up and down the top third of the stem. I also failed to notice if there was any fragrance. Where was my mind, you might ask? What can I say — I have no defense… In any case, Platanthera dilatata ranges in the cooler climes throughout North America, with variety leuchostachys appearing mainly in the western half of the country. The similar looking East coast variety is variety dilatata, being widespread along both the East and West coasts and throughout all of the Canadian provinces.

While we were all oohing and aahing over the beautiful, bright white flowers of Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys, the field trip leader was busy locating another nearby orchid species, Neottia convallarioides. This was a “two for the price of one” roadside stop! Now, you may not be familiar with hearing of Neottia species in North America. Well, our friends at Kew and the IPNI have seen fit to subsume all Listera species into the genus, Neottia. So, since the species in question was formerly Listera convallarioides, it is now Neottia convallariolides. So much for being able to remember the names of our native orchids.

By the way, IPNI is the organization that justly can be called the “plant names police”. I frequently visit the site to veryify the latest correct name and other valuable informaton concerning our native orchid species. Some surprises always await the unsuspecting visitor to that web site… but I digress…

I was really hoping to be able to photograph Neottia convallarioides, since it was on my bucket list. It is a fairly widespread species appearing everywhere in North America except the central and southeastern states. What awaited us was a wet ditch absolutely full of perfectly blooming plants:

Here are some more shots of these strange, green orchids:

It was actually rather difficult to find a plant that was standing alone and not in a “crowd” of other plants. Below is a shot proving that the pollinators have been busy doing their thing. Notice the bright yellow pollina on the lip of one of the half-inch long flowers:

In short order, we were told by the field trip leader that more stuff lay ahead. We still had not reached the main attraction of Butterfly Valley — Sweetwater Marsh containing the carnivorous plant bog.

Upon arriving at the edge of the bog, we got out of our vehicles, put on our boots or waders, and headed out into the bog. While some were searching the area for a rare sedge, I quickly located the star attraction: Darlingtonia californica also known as California Pitcher Plant or Cobra Lily:

It is quite easy to see how it got its common name of Cobra Lily, since the 12-18 inch (30-45 cm) modified leaves (pitchers) of this plant show a striking similarity to a Cobra that is poised to strike! Its mechanism for capturing prey is to lure insects to the two hanging, leaf-like structures which are covered with nectar glands. Once there, they crawl up through a small opening into the pitcher toward the tiny, window-like patches on the top portion of the pitcher. When they reach the inside of the pitcher, they are directed downward, eventually meeting their doom in the liquid contained within the bottom third of the pitcher where the digestion process begins. They cannot crawl out because of downward-pointing hairs inside the pitcher. What an ingenious way to acquire nutrition!

Even more beautiful (in my opinion) than the bright green leaves of the pitcher plant, are the flowers. We happened to see them at peak bloom:

Botanist are still not absolutely sure what pollinates this 2-3 foot (60-90 cm) tall flower. On almost every flower, a small spider is often seen weaving its web to catch unsuspecting insects — a sort of double-whammy for insects in the area. Whether or not this spider is the pollinator, the jury is still out…

There were also Round-leaf Sundews scattered throughout the bog, but I was here for the orchids, and there is one more species that we have not yet been able to find — and for good reason: From a distance, it looks like a green stick with bumps on it:

Up close, there is a bit more detail, but it’s still not a flower that you’d take home to your Mom. It is known as Platanthera sparsiflora or Sparse-flowered Bog orchid:

While photographing one of the plants, I noticed a small spider, patiently waiting under one of the flowers. So I decided to do an instructive photographic experiment to show the subject lit in both natural, ambient light (below left), and lit with a fill flash (below right). Here are the results:

I think each shot has its good points, and I’m still unsure which I like best. Any thoughts? Leave your comments below.

As we were preparing to leave, one of the sharp-eyed field trip participants, Carolyn Jones, found the dimutive Calochortus nudus or Naked Mariposa Lily. California is well-known for its Mariposa Lilies in the many dozens of species. This little, one-inch flower was only about two inches off the ground, and it’s amazing that it was even spotted in the tall grass surrounding the bog:

This brings an end to my coverage of our fantastic Native Orchid Conference field trips in Plumas County, June, 2013. We were able to see and photograph some especially fine orchids and wildflowers and to visit with some old friends that we haven’t seen since last year’s symposium. And we also met, for the first time, some very interesting people whom I look forward to greeting again next year at the 2014 NOC symposium in Itasca, Minnesota.

— Jim