Tag Archives: tiny orchid-like wildflower

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Rick and I wanted to show our friends the hard to spot wildflower, the Fetid Adder's Tongue. Worst. Name. Ever. It is also called Slinkpod, almost as bad a name. Its scientific name is Scoliopus bigelovii.

Here we all are searching for the tiny orchid-like wildflower. Huckleberry, our golden retriever, is assisting in the hunt.

Rick was the one who spotted it. It was only about two inches high. You can see the two distinctive mottled leaves on the forest floor.

Trilliums and Milkmaids are also blooming now. We are having warm, sunny weather, which we are able to enjoy because there is a lot of rain in our forecast!

Thanks to C'Anna Bergman-Hill for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

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So tiny yet so exquisite, Calypso Orchids are blooming in undisturbed forests on the Mendonoma Coast. Jinx McCombs is lucky to have a patch of them on her property near Point Arena. She took this close-up so you can see its lovely blossom.

This wildflower needs a fungus in the soil to thrive so you should never try to transplant one. If you are fortunate enough to come across one, just appreciate it its natural habitat.

Thanks to Jinx for allowing me to share her photo with  you here.

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Everything seems early this season so why should I be surprised to find the first Fetid Adder's Tongue, Scoliopus bigelovii, blooming on the forest floor? It's a treat to see these little brown orchid-like flowers. The leaves of this California native are just peeking up from the ground. Most people never see the flowers as they bloom in the winter, deep in the forest. However the leaves that follow are large, mottled and last for several months.

Greet the New Year and welcome the first wildflower too!

Happy New Year! Jeanne Jackson, Gualala