Deep within the Kabetogama (Minnesota state flower)

[Steve Foss]

I had a phone call from a fellow who gave me exact directions to a bunch of blooming showy ladyslippers. I've been working hard to get as many orchids as I can, but it's only been four years since I really began in earnest, and the showy species is not common at all up here in the boreal forest. Before today, I had no showy ladyslipper images. So of course I went there. It was deep in the Kabetogama State Forest.

There are dew on some of these, but it burned off really fast this morning, not to mention the wind was blowing like a banshee starting an hour after sunup and the sun was bright and clear. And the showy ladyslipper, unlike some of her relatives, prefers an open, sunny and not-so-wet environment, which is a welcome to any wind gust that comes along.

But when you drive 90 miles with the cost of gas these days, you make sure you bring along the tools you need to get what you need. So I managed the scene. I erected a makeshift windbreak. I put up a diffusion tent to kill the brightest of the sun's rays and make more even lighting. That used up both tripods, so I steadied the 100 macro on my camera backpack, composed each shot, and waited until the blooms quit swaying in the gale. For every 10 minutes spent waiting to trip the shutter, about 10 seconds of stillness came along.

That meant I had darn few iso readings at 200 or lower. Almost all were at iso400, with a few at iso640, so I could keep up the shutter speed enough to freeze what I needed to freeze. I'd go back, but in even two days this group of blooms will be past it all, and the white sepals will start turning brown on the edges, and voids will appear in the flower pouches.

So, no more story. Here is Minnesota's state flower strutting her stuff from far in the Kabetogama.

All with the Canon 30D, Canon 100 macro and various iso readings, various shutter speeds and apertures. The last image included the addition of the 1.4 TC and all three extension tubes. All are handheld, steadied on the backpack

[Dbl]

#2 is a beauty Steve. Good stuff.

[jonny_redhorse]

I have yet to see the showy lady slippers!...I've come across the others,but not these guys ....great opportunity and you took it!...great photos Steve!...#1 is my first choice!

[chaffmj]

Catfish,

Nice shots. How many different kind of lady slippers are there? I have seen some up at Big Lake but they have a maroon color I think.

[Steve Foss]

chaff, there are many, many types of wild orchids in Minnesota. Within all those species are the ladyslippers. Just off my head, there are the showy, large yellow, small yellow, white, ram's head and stemless (pink). The ones you've seen up by Big Lake are the stemless.

[so haaad]

Maybe a dumb question, but are all considered the "state flower", or just the showy? I thought I heard somewhere that orchids where quite edible, so just wondering if the other types are "pickable".

Like always, great pics Steve.

[Steve Foss]

Only the showy ladyslipper is the Minnesota state flower. I know it is illegal to pick them. I don't know about the legality of picking other wild orchids or any wildflowers in general. Some ladyslipper species are quite rare, however, and unless you know one from the other I'd really recommend not picking any of them.

It's also illegal to dig up wildflowers without the landowner's permission (on public land, you need the permission of the government agency in charge of that land), and the nearly 200 wildflowers listed on the state's threatened or endangered list are illegal to dig without a special permit.

[mcary]

Steve,

All very nice. I personally love the 3rd one. Great background to isolate the flowers.

[Swimmer]

Quote:

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Steve,

All very nice. I personally love the 3rd one. Great background to isolate the flowers.

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I too am a fan of #3. SOunds like a nice adventure in the North Country was had. Thanks for sharing.