Platanthera psycodes – Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid

I found several of these orchids growing in a wet spot in a neighbor’s corn field. The ground is so wet that the farmer can’t plow there, so it has remained a small triangular unplanted area with native sedges, Joe Pye Weed, Blue Lobelia, non-native weeds, and this orchid.

7/26/2009 growing in the wet part of the corn field

I collected seeds from them for a few years, and scattered them in our wetland, but at least so far, I haven’t seen any plants growing here.

Every year the weedy wet triangle in the corn field gets smaller, and it’s continually exposed to disturbance, pesticides and herbicides. So in 2019 I asked our neighbors if I could dig up a few plants to try growing them here. I found 8 plants blooming, and took 3 to plant in our wetland.

7/23/2019 I planted all 3 in a wet part of the wetland, among mostly native sedges.