All Hail the Queen

#124- Showy Lady's Slipper

I usually go to this location from June 4-8 so I had begun to worry that they may be past peak when I had a chance to go. This morning was rainy and nasty, and I had only gave it a passing thought but, my wife, after watching me mope around the house commented, "I thought you was going to see some flower somewhere." That was all the prodding I needed; ROAD TRIP. I took off around noon with a hastily filled pack and arrived 1 1/2 hours later. It rained at times with periods of sunshine. It was a steady rain when I began to walk, but was very warm. Thirty minutes later, the sun broke out as I arrived and stayed the whole time I was on the site.  This was my fourth year in a row visiting this site and I spent at least two years before that hiking the mountains looking for them. The Showy Lady's Slippers were just beginning bloom with many still in bud. This site will be nice for another week or week and a half at least. I took many pictures and saw several other great wildflowers that I will post soon. On the way back to the vehicle, thunder began to roll and  I got the soaking that I expected all day. 

           The  species name is Cypripedium reginae and reginae is Latin for "of a queen" which gives this Orchid its other common name, Queen's Lady Slipper. It is known only in two places in West Virginia and I have been fortunate to visit both.