Puttyroot orchids (Aplectrum hyemale)

 

The day after our long circuit around Amanda's farm, I was tired, but excited at the prospect of sketching the Puttyroot orchids from life. I'd come across these a few years before on Wildcat Mountain near me, but here was a great opportunity to revisit them and spend more time studying these unusual native orchids.

I got my gear and backpack ready, and set out around nine o'clock, walking on Westminster Road toward the driveway among the woods. Along the way I noticed that there were puddles in the road, and realized it had likely rained overnight--I must have been so tired I'd slept through it, despite the tin roof on the Red House.

The woods were fresh and dewy, just delightful! I looked for the sticks we'd used to mark the location of the three orchids we'd spotted, but I couldn't find them--must be farther up the road. I continued until I reached the end of the wooded section where the hillside opens to a view of the grassy valley--that was too far, I knew this wasn't orchid terrain, so I backtracked, looking more carefully.

Eventually I found the marking sticks with the dried leaf, but there was only one orchid there! What had happened to the others we'd seen? Deer must have eaten them--there was not a trace of them, not even a chewed-off stem! Oh, well, one orchid would do. I set up  my camping stool as close as possible to it, which put it at a crazy angle leaning into the road bank, and got out my old Sennelier watercolor travel set and brushes. 

 

Sketch of Puttyroot orchid

 

I worked happily for about an hour, including the dried leaf in the sketch until my back started the ache from the odd position I was in. I looked up and noticed that it was clouding up and a breeze was stirring the trees overhead, shaking raindrops from the tree canopy--they'd been falling now and then, occasionally wetting my sketchbook. Perhaps it was fixing to rain again? It certainly looked like it. Better to pack up in case it did--I didn't want my sketchbook to get wet!

I packed up and started going back up the driveway, noting the location of the orchid again, and looking for any other plants that I might want to sketch later. I was digging up some garlic mustard along the way when the shower started. Fortunately, I had a rain jacket in my pack, stopped to pull it on and continued back toward the house.

The shower was brief--once on Westminster Road, the trees sheltered me most of the way and by the time I reached the driveway of the Red House, the rain had stopped and the sun was out again, making it quite warm. I had to take off the rain jacket before I reached the house.