Temporis Domina: Mistress of Time (Lady’s Slipper)
This plant dances on air. It emerges in the spring, and breathes new life into boggy forests and thickets, its preferred habitat. Due to the loss of habitat, and collection by wild flower enthusiasts, the Yellow Lady’s Slipper is becoming increasingly rare. Sadly, this is true of so many wild orchids.
It is the pouch-like structure of the flower which led to the name slipper. This attractive design is marvelously adapted to attract small bees for pollination. Once pollinated, the flower will form a seedpod, which splits open, and the fine seeds are carried aloft by the wind. Propagating this orchid from seed is the miracle of nature at work. If successfully attempted by anyone, it would be the work of a fine horticulturist.
Lady ’s Slippers require a special fungi in the soil, in just the right balance, for the seeds to flourish. This delightful orchid is the subject of many restoration programs throughout many parts of the world, with the hope of bringing it back from near extinction.