Spiranthes ovalis – October Ladies’-tresses

I’ve now found this species growing on two of our prairie areas.  It’s growing in our largest mesic prairie remnant – the Knife Edge Prairie, and in a cleared savanna remnant on Indian Grass Point.  It’s a small, delicate plant – smaller flowered, thinner stemmed and more delicate than Spiranthes magnicamporum.  Wisconsin DNR considers it a plant of ‘special concern’.  These records are the farthest north it’s been found in Wisconsin – the other records are in the southern two tiers of counties.

 

 

 

 

 

9/30/2019  Showing the size of the flowers – 5mm

 

9/29/2020 on Indian Grass Point

 

10/28/2020  old flowers/seed pods on a snowy day