On my frequent “walk-abouts” with students in my biology and environmental studies courses, I set a couple of important rules for our hikes: (1) go single-file through the forest, staying on established trails as much as possible, and (2) do not pick flowers unless we can see at least 10 others just like it nearby and have a good scientific reason for doing so. These are “common sense” rules to minimize our ecological footprint so that those who follow us will also enjoy the natural world and so that viable populations of wildflowers will remain to guarantee local biodiversity.
During a recent ramble in a Roanoke City park, however, something happened that seriously challenged the sensibility of my second rule. First, we nearly trampled a pink lady’s slipper orchid directly on a public footpath, the only one within sight. Second, we were faced with the gut-wrenching decision about moving it to safety.
This native orchid is known in the scientific world as Cypripedium acaule. It has two broad basal leaves from which emerges the flowering stem carrying a single magenta-colored pouched flower. Typically, the plant grows in mixed hardwood forests in deep, well-drained soils here in the eastern United States and north into Canada. Because of its obligatory fungal association needed for healthy growth, C. acaule is difficult to grow in gardens and is unlikely to survive attempts at transplantation. You may find more information about this plant, including its distribution and select images, at http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CYAC3. Simply put, it is a queen among our numerous spring wildflowers.
What’s more, C. acaule is listed in Georgia as unusual, Illinois as endangered, New York as exploitably vulnerable, and Tennessee as commercially exploited and endangered. In other words, throughout its native range, the pink lady’s slipper orchid is beginning to succumb to anthropogenic change. Habitat fragmentation, along with indiscriminate collecting, has begun to leave its ugly mark on this lovely wildflower.
When discussing the ecological status of wild orchids, two pieces of legislation in the United States come to mind: the Lacey Act of 1900 (amended in 2008) and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The former is the first federal conservation law to protect wildlife; its 2008 amendment expanded its protection to include plants and plant products, including wild orchids. The latter is an exemplary law to protect critically imperiled species from extinction, thereby acting as a model for similar laws across the planet. On an international scale, to prevent illegal trafficking in endangered species, the USA and other countries are signatories of CITES, an acronym for the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna. It affords varying degrees of protection to more than 33,000 species of plants and animals, wild lady slipper orchids among them. CITES is enforced in the USA via its Endangered Species Act. Contrary to some extreme viewpoints, such laws have proved essential to protect endangered or threatened species from exploitation.
So, for ecological and legal reasons, please do not pick native wildflowers on public land, leaving them for others to enjoy and allowing them to propagate in their natural settings.
Did we move that pink lady’s slipper orchid from the public trail? No. It is unlikely that it would have survived transplantation. Aside from its ecology, however, remains the simple fact that wild orchids are provided varying levels of protection throughout their native range here in the United States and abroad. Only with official permission (that includes all the incumbent scientific justifications) should one tamper with wild orchids on public lands. Thus, we left it alone on the side of the trail with the hope that others will not harm it. It was a tough decision, but the correct one for the plant.
It was also an important moment for my students who have spent the year learning about environmental conservation and stewardship of natural resources. Wild flora and fauna are not provisions for human comfort and happiness. They have their own intrinsic right to exist in the economy of nature … and deserve our protection for the generations who follow us.
H. Bruce Rinker, Ph.D. Science Department Chairman [email protected]
Any kind of Orchid to me is one of the most beautiful plants on earth. They are so fragile looking but have to be so hardy to survive like they do.
I know you and the students did the right thing leaving the Pink Ladys Slippers Orchid but would be a hard decision to make..trying not to think of the next person coming by might step on the Orchid not realizing how rare and precious they are..Thank you for this article. One of your best .
Another splendid article~! I love orchids…..I did not know until you told me that the Cypripedium acaule could be living in my environment~! I see them in the wooded ares close by now and it is a breath taking vision when out in the woods. You see all trees and dried leaves on the ground and then right there in your sight is one of the most amazing creations God has made for us to enjoy….the Cypripedium acaule~!
Looking forward to your next article~!
When GOD created all the flora and the fauna, he put them on earth with man to be their stewards and to treat and use them wisely. In areas of the planet man out of greed has destroyed many natural resources without considering the long term consequences to our enviroment. The destruction of the topical rain forests come to mind very quickly. Come on people and wake up! We all live here on this small planet and need to act responsibly!
Another wonderful article to teach us about what we need to do when entering our natural forest areas and what to look for. Thank you.
Well it is sad but true, people will not knowingly try and save the flower, they may even pick it, like a child for instance. My suggestion is to go back with the right type of wiring, and stakes and see to it that it is protected with those items. We have just planted 10 colorado blue spruce tree’s here at home and we have put loving care into them. They also have the screening around them to keep animals and things out. Wonderful article as always Bruce.