Pink Lady Slipper

I am definitely envious! You will have them there for a good long time to come baring any natural disasters, many of the plants are known to survive upwards of 20 years. With a dense population like yours I would expect them to be around much much longer as there will be and probably have been generations of seeds produced.

We took a (careful) walk around the perimeter of our yard a few feet into the woods and counted more than 60 of these flowers!

Great info ~ thank you!

Pink Lady's Slippers information:

Habitat: North Eastern United States and Canada, mainly found in or on the edges of pine forest areas, also can be found among leaf litter in deciduous forest, but very rarely.

Soil Preference: Prefers acidic soil, however can do well in more alkaline soils, prefers moist/well drained areas.

Sun: Partial sun/shade

Growth: The plant unlike many others, has a symbiotic relationship with certain types of fungus. Without the fungus the Pink Lady's Slipper will not grow. The seed of the plant does not carry a food source within it for propagation, the seed needs the beneficial fungus to feed it, as well as to help open the casing/shell. In return as the plant grows and spreads it's roots through the ground the fungus will then be able to feed off of the plants root system which then in turn feeds the plant. The root structure of the PLS is very wide (averaging three foot diameter from base of the actual plant), it is also very shallow. Average root system depth is about 2inches.

Many people have tried, and very very very few succeed in transplanting a PLS from the wild into their gardens. The reason for this is that if the root system is broken in any point it will harm the entire plant, and it will not regenerate the following year. Also picking the PLS flowers will cause the plant to die.

It's advised that everyone enjoy the PLS from a safe distance, in order to avoid causing unneeded harm to the plants roots, and the plant itself.

I also know of a few people who place fencing around the PLS as the flowers make a tasty treat for white tailed deer.

(information has been gathered from numerous resources over the years as I have read journals and books, and articles on this ever since my grandfather first showed me a photo of one from the 50's. I've inherited his thirst for knowledge, and the family "curse" of PLS "Hunting").

More info would be great! We are fortunate enough to have more than a half dozen on our wooded property.

Another Gorgeous specimen! These are my "White Elephant." In NY state there are only ten known locations where these still exist. Not one of them is near where I live. Although we have the proper conditions for them to grow, they haven't been seen here in ages. They are on the Protected/endangered plant species list here. I am very glad to see they are thriving elsewhere though!

Congratulations on an amazing spotting!!!

If you would like I could post some more information regarding them.

Pretty!