Giant Helleborine Orchid (Epipactis gigantea)
Giant Helleborine Orchid (Epipactis gigantea)
The giant helleborine orchid (Epipactis gigantea), also commonly known as the stream orchid and even chatterbox is found sporadically throughout the western half of the United States, with a northerly range just barely reaching into Southern British Columbia. It is also the only helleborine native to North America. Nearly always found in wetlands in a highly variable range of habitats from conifer forests to sagebrush deserts, it also seems to tolerate a wide range of soils. These were found just south the Dry Falls area of Washington's Grant County in multiple places in the Sun Lakes, just at the edge of the water. On this day more than five thousand orchids were in bloom on a scorching hot spring day, most of them (but not all) sheltered by cottonwoods.
- Copyright
- ©2016
- Image Size
- 4000x6000 / 13.5MB
- Keywords
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photography, nature, nature photography, wildlife, Wild America, PNW, Pacific NW, Pacific Northwest, Coulee City, Epidendroideae, Epipactis, Epipactis gigantea, Grant County, Helleborine gigantea, Neottieae, Orchidaceae, Washington, chatterbox, flower, helleborine, orchid, stream orchid, wildflower, native orchid, wild orchid, Sun Lakes, Sun Lakes State Park