The green Swamp always provides us with unusual flowers and plants. This one is really nice -- the flowers open from the top of the stem downward. They always look wilted, but that's just the way this one presents itself. They are usually some shade of pinkish purple, but I have seen photograhs of pure white ones.

Tags:   Green Swamp Brunswick County North Carolina wildflowers Olympus E-510 Sigma 105mm

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One of the rare flowers that can be seen in the Green Swamp is Carolina Grass-of-Parnassus. The veins on the five petals are quite distinct and make this a very sought-after flower. There are other species of Parnassia in the state, but this one is listed as a species of concern.

Flies seemed to be all over these flowers the morning we photographed them. Don't know why they attract flies -- I couldn't smell anything especially putrid!

Tags:   Green Swamp Brunswick County North Carolina wildflowers Olympus E-510 ZD Zuiko 50-200mm Parnassia caroliniana Carolina Grass-of-Parnassus

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Before our trip to the Green Swamp, we had a communication from another photographer friend who had just visited a small town close to the Green Swamp Preserve. He had told us that in this small town (Boiling Spring Lakes), there were some side streets whose ditches were full of orchids. Well, I had to see it for myself.

He was right! And they were in full bloom! The problem turned out to be deciding which species of Spiranthes we were looking at. After much debate, I decided that they were Fragrant ladies'-tresses since the flowers did not nod as do the flowers of Spiranthes cernua.

Tags:   Boiling Spring Lakes Brunswick County North Carolina wildflowers orchids ladies'-tresses Spiranthes Olympus E-510 Sigma 105mm

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This is a rare orchid that we attempted to photograph in the Green Swamp last year, but it didn't appear. Or rather, we couldn't find them in the usual places.

This particular species of Spiranthes has its petals spread wide open. This makes for a particularly beautiful flowered stem.

Tags:   Green Swamp Brunswick County North Carolina wildflowers Olympus E-510 Sigma 105mm

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Before our trip to the Green Swamp, we had a communication from another photographer friend who had just visited a small town close to the Green Swamp Preserve. He had told us that in this small town (Boiling Spring Lakes), there were some side streets whose ditches were full of orchids. Well, I had to see it for myself.

He was right! And they were in full bloom! The problem turned out to be deciding which species of Spiranthes we were looking at. After much debate, I decided that they were Fragrant ladies'-tresses since the flowers did not nod as do the flowers of Spiranthes cernua.

Tags:   Boiling Spring Lakes Brunswick County North Carolina wildflowers orchids ladies'-tresses Spiranthes Olympus E-510 Sigma 105mm

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