Platanthera obtusata, July 28, 2022
Common & scientific name
Blunt-leaf orchid, Platanthera obtusata
Family
Orchid, Orchidaceae
Location
Old road, 9,700’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
From the US Forest Service’s wonderful “plant of the week” blog: “This is a true circumboreal or northern plant that ranges all across the arctic regions of Asia, Europe, and North America. . . . This species has a diminutive flower that is just 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch long with several flowers on a single stalk that is only a few inches tall. . . . Although this plant is not large or spectacular, it is worth taking a look at. Also, its wetland habitat is important to protect for many reasons and include the fact that it often grows together with several other orchids, plants, and at least one species of lichen which are under state and or federal protection.”
This one is easy to miss: keep your eyes open in forested, mossy areas near the Roaring Fork River.