Pandemic Discoveries
Home Woods
2020-2021
Introduction and Part I
As with many people, the COVID-19 pandemic period has been a time of settling back, putting some “normal” things aside, doing some aspects of life differently. This has opened space for new activities, thoughts, and processes.
But, this has not meant, necessarily, that those new aspects were put forward publicly. Maybe we were just discovering them (a new hobby, a new career direction, or even a new outlook on life), trying them out, learning about them.
One aspect in my life is writing. But, I hardly put out any writing publicly during that time. I felt something was changing about it, but I wasn't sure yet of my direction, and what form that would take. I'm still waiting for that to gel. I only know there has to be something different about it than before this period.
As with many people, the pandemic period has also been a time for being retrospective, and for reexamining what we've been doing, and how we've been doing it. Do we still want to do that thing? What should we leave behind? What do we want to keep? What do we change?
Things were looking up for awhile in my area as COVID numbers went way down. But, here we are, with the raging Delta Variant. Overall, Indiana is not doing well. And my county, Knox, went deep into the red zone again. I won't get into the reasons, but they are the same or similar to those in other areas with this problem.
A Place to Be
It's always a relief to go into the woods, where everything is going about its business, in simple and complex ways, all connected in some way, regardless of whether I'm there or not (being that I am a human who tries to keep her impact as low as possible). It's a relief to stay, for awhile, in a place where it all makes sense.
Additionally, now, the woods is also a place to remove the mask and not to have be be concerned with keeping my distance from other people (or, them keeping their distance from me). Instead of being a potential threat to my health and well-being, the woods helps me to be healthier and happier.
We have all experienced some sort of discoveries during the pandemic period (and perhaps still do). Here, I will focus on a few very significant discoveries I experienced in my Home Woods during this time.
Unfortunately, this period is not over. But, perhaps there will be more light, and a few more significant discoveries.
My Pandemic Discoveries are in three separate blog entries, the first Discovery being part of this entry. And, so, let us begin with …
Part I
Cranefly Orchid
Tipularia discolor (Pursh) Nutt.
Topsides and underside of Cranefly Orchid leaves
Ouabache Trails Park
April 10, 2020
(Note: I have not been able to locate my photos of Cranefly Orchid from my Home Woods)
Richard and I were working on controlling invasive plants on a slope in the Home Woods. This is the slope below the edge of our woods which is near the driveway. I rarely explore this slope because it's steeper than the others and very tedious to wander (and not great on my problematic ankle and hip bursitis). It's not so much about going down the slope as it is going horizontally along it, from one end to another, two sides of my body constantly at different levels.
We were especially going after young Asian Bush Honeysuckle plants, but were also finding Burning Bush saplings and other invasive species. We were also trying to keep from sliding or rolling downhill.
I had an empty five-gallon bucket in which I put my camera, which was securely nestled in its padded, latched case (fortunately). While I was working, the bucket tipped over and out rolled the camera case – and rolled, and rolled - downhill, faster than I could keep up.
Then it stopped. I carefully worked my way down to it. As I reached out to pick it up, something caught my eye, right next to the camera case. It was that leaf I had gotten to know so well elsewhere. Excitement welled up in me to the top of my head. I turned over a leaf, and there was the unmistakable rich purple of a Cranefly Orchid leaf underside.
If that isn't Serendipity, what is?
Of course, I carefully removed my camera from its case and snapped photos.
What's It All About?
Why was I so excited? I mean, besides the fact that Cranefly Orchid is such a cool plant, and one of Indiana's native orchids? It's not all that uncommon. It is rare in parts of its range, but certainly not in our part of the country. I and plant-loving friends have been noting populations of them at Ouabache Trails Park over the years (and, yes, we do get excited when we find a new one).
It's because Cranefly Orchid is truly a rarity in my Home Woods. I knew I did not plant it here. It showed up all on its own, finding just the right conditions.
I have a couple of spots in the woods with a more common native orchid, Puttyroot (Aplectrum hyemale), that I planted, thanks to friend Mike's generosity with plants. They are doing well. But, I did not plant Cranefly, and Mike knows he never provided it.
Serendipity – and also a testament to this woodland, to letting it be, to removing those awful invasive plant species so that all else can flourish, to allowing Nature to go about its business, from the soil to the canopy.
The growth cycle of Cranefly Orchid is much like that of Puttyroot, but with slightly different timing. They both seem magical – a leaf appears, or a flower stalk appears, but never at the same time.
The Leafy Life
During autumn (the time of this writing, which is the cusp of the Autumnal Equinox for 2021), a single leaf of Cranefly appears, just above the soil surface. It has no petiole (leaf stem) – it just looks like a leaf stuck onto the ground, or into the leaf litter. This leaf arises from a corm, or chain of corms, that are underground (these are responsible for vegetative reproduction). There may be a group of (separate) leaves, if there is a group of corms. Some small mammals dig up the corms to eat, sometimes causing uneaten ones to be dispersed.
The leaves are simple, broadly oval/elliptical, and have smooth edges, and strong veins. They are kind of shiny, top and bottom. The top is a deep green, sometimes with dimply, purplish spots. The underside of the leaf is completely deep purple – a strong identifying characteristic.
Cranefly Orchid lives in shaded woodland, benefiting from the variety of trees and shrubs there:
“Cranefly Orchids benefit from the covering of leaf mulch produced by the deciduous trees and shrubs with which it lives in the forest. This blanket of leaves protects and nourishes the Cranefly Orchid and other surrounding plants, including those from which the leaves fell. The leaves hold moisture from winter rain and snow, slowly releasing it into the soil. With the assistance of beneficial fungi and bacteria, the leaves decompose, replenishing the nutrients in the soil. Cranefly Orchids also depend on the presence of special fungi in the soil for germination and to obtain essential nutrients for growth and survival.” The Natural Web.org: A Tantalizing Promise – Cranefly Orchid
Much of this is true of all plants, but it's important to note that there have to be specific species of fungus in the soil to develop the right relationship for Cranefly Orchid to flourish. Also, Cranefly needs the presence of rotting wood to flourish, and for seeds to germinate. More on that later.
Cranefly Orchid leaves are “hibernal”, meaning they persist all winter, so you will still see these deep green and purple leaves poking out of the brown forest forest floor (though late in autumn and earlier in the winter, while the layer of leaf litter is still thick and fluffy, you may need to move leaf litter to find some Cranefly leaves). While the deciduous forest canopy is empty, much more sunlight penetrates to the forest floor. Cranefly leaves can take advantage of this sunlight, storing energy in the corms, via the leaves, through photosynthesis. The amount of energy one plant is able to store will determine whether or not it will bloom later, as well as the size of next year's leaves (which will determine how much energy can be stored the next year).
You can still spot Cranefly Orchid leaves during early spring, when the early spring ephemeral wildflowers show up. But as the canopy fills up, sunlight reaching the forest floor decreases. Cranefly Orchid leaves start to wither, then dry, then disappear completely by May or June.
Magic Flowers
Then, in late summer, like magic, a stalk appears, known as a raceme, since flowers bloom singly all along the stalk. The flowers develop gradually from the bottom of the stalk on up, which extends pollination time for the whole plant. The stalk and flowers can be difficult to spot through the surrounding summer vegetation and existing leaf litter. They are relatively dull colored, the stalk is thin, and the flowers are very small. But, look closely at the flowers, especially with a magnifier, and you'll see an orchid as exotic as any other.
The flowers, variously described as pinkish, brownish, or greenish, have a spidery look – somewhat resembling the spindly legs of a Cranefly insect (check some of the links provided at the end for photos of the raceme and close-ups of the flowers). The genus name Tipularia means “Daddy Long-legs”. They do look delicate, graceful, and unusual, as if they might fly off the stalk. Another thing you will notice is that the flowers are asymmetrical. There is a good reason for this, and it has to do with the unusual way that the Cranefly Orchid flower is pollinated.
There are two other features important to its unique pollination. One is that the nectar is contained in a spur at the back of the flower. A number of other flowers have this feature, such as Jewelweed and flowers in the Larkspur group. Normally only long-tongued insects, and hummingbirds (and bats, in some areas) can reach nectar in spurs, and some pollinators have to stick themselves deep into the flower to get to it.
Orange/Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) - side view shows spur on back that holds the nectary
With many of these flowers, a pollinator sticking its head or even body into the flower means that it comes into contact with the flower's pollen-laden anthers at the ends of stamens and then exits with pollen grains on its body, which it carries to the next flower, causing pollination there. But, Cranefly Orchids, like a few other kinds of plants (including milkweeds) do not disperse individual pollen grains. Their pollen is all contained in a sac-like structure called a pollinium. This structure must somehow become attached to a prospective pollinator in order to get to another flower.
Who's Responsible for This?
And, how does this happen? Well, being Cranefly Orchid, this happens in an unusual way. Cranefly Orchid blooms attract certain types of small, dull, night-flying Noctuid moths (I have not found out if it is scent that attracts the moths). One is the Common Looper Moth (so called for the way the caterpillar moves) – Autographa precationis. Another is the Sharp-stigma Looper Moth – Ctenoplusia oxygrama (also has been called Agrapha oxygramma). And another is the Porcelain Gray – Protoboarmia porcelaria. But, commonly, they also attract the Armyworm Moth – Pseudaletia unipuncta – which is a sub-genus of the White-Speck or True Armyworm Moth – Mythimna unipuncta (as far as I can gather). Whatever the name, its larva is one of the least favorite insects of farmers and gardeners, feeding on corn and other grains, grasses, vegetables, young fruit trees, and ornamental plants. They can appear by the thousands at night, eating, then migrate as a large group to other areas when they've exhausted the food supply.
How ironic, that Armyworm Moths are a major pollinator of a beautiful native orchid! Well, the other moth species mentioned are not so bad.
Seeing Eye-to-Eye
Here is where the asymmetrical design of the Cranefly Orchid flower comes into play. The moth has to stick its head deep into the flower to reach the nectar in that spur. As it does so, one of its eyes comes into contact with the pollinium, due to the asymmetrical flower shape. Yes, an eye. Imagine how that would feel to us, having this thing stuck to an eye until we reach another place where we can remove it. But, moth eyes are compound and dry, very different from ours, so I don't know how much of a bother this is, other than maybe affecting vision. If the pollinium does not fall off of the moth's eye between flowers, it gets attached to the next Cranefly Orchid flower that the moth visits, when it sticks its head into the flower to reach the nectar. The pollinium can come into contact with the stigma of the flower, releasing pollen and … causing the flower to become pollinated.
Pollination leads to the formation of seeds (and the containers for the seeds, be that fleshy fruit, capsules, pods, or whatever). In Cranefly Orchid, pollinated flowers develop oval greenish pods that hang downwards along the stalk (see some of the provided links for photos of seed pods). Within the pods are about a bazillion (I really don't know the usual number) of dust-like seeds that are, as you can imagine, easily carried on the breeze when the dried, papery pod opens.
Success!!! But ...
… the seeds do not germinate well!! The plant more often reproduces via the underground corms or corm divisions (“proto-corms”). But, then again, the seeds germinate better in certain conditions. They need decomposing wood. A study by H. Rasmussen and D. Whigham, published by the American Journal of Botony, showed that “ … germination of Tipularia discolor [seeds] is stimulated in substrates that contain decomposing wood … wood from a variety of tree species offer a suitable substrate.”
Successful seed germination will lead to new corms. And from those, or from an already existing corm, a new leaf will pop up in the autumn, continuing the Cranefly Orchid cycle.
More Mystery
So many unusual things had to happen in order for this Cranefly Orchid to appear in my Home Woods. Did it get there via the dust-like seeds, carried on the wind from who-knows-where-the-other-Cranefly-Orchid-was? My Home Woods certainly has the right conditions for successful germination – plenty of decomposing wood, for one thing. Or did corms appear and sprout there – maybe carried by an animal and “planted” there to eat later, or stuck to fur or feet, then dropped? Either way, my Home Woods also has the right conditions for this plant to flourish. There is a variety of trees and shrubs providing leaf litter, plus the right amount of sunlight in winter and shade in summer. I'm assuming the mix of fungi and bacteria species in the litter and soil is also what it needs.
I tried going back to that lower area of slope to find it again. Such a mysterious plant can also be a mystery when trying to relocate it, and I did not find it again. The day I saw it I did not have something to mark the spot. I also did not create a clear and definite mind-picture of the location, so I was looking for anyplace that was similar – and there are many spots like that. I will try, soon, to locate it again, and I will keep trying until I find one or more leaves. And I'll be sure to mark it, and to create a clear mental picture. I want to be able to go back next summer and see a raceme with those unusual flowers blooming – as long as the leaf has had enough sunlight and all is well.
The Main Discovery
I have learned much through my research about the Cranefly Orchid – about the plant itself, its life cycle, the conditions in which it thrives, and about its associated pollinators. Through this knowledge I will be better able to observe and study any Cranefly Orchids in my Home Woods, at Ouabache Trails Park, or anywhere else. The plant itself has become even more fascinating with each new item learned about it.
This helped me with something else: making the decision to break down Pandemic Discoveries into three separate blog entries. There was so much to learn and relate about the Cranefly Orchid that to put the other two Pandemic Discoveries in the same entry would be cumbersome, to say the least. Also, I know now that there will be much more to learn about the other two Discoveries as I delve into research about them. They each deserve and need their own entry. And, I look forward immensely to pursuing those.
This also has enabled me to develop a larger, fuller picture and understanding of my woodland, and I know that research on the other Discoveries will expand this further.
And that brings me to another result of researching and writing about the Cranefly Orchid. This is helping me to develop the idea of where my writing needs to go. It is helping me see how I need to pursue the nature study that leads to the writing. This is where I find joy, fascination, passion - it can only go in a positive, beneficial direction. In other words – this is where I need to go, and where I need to spend my time, my energy, and to work with my thirst for knowledge and desire to share what I discover. Let's see where this takes me.
Stay tuned for Pandemic Discoveries, Part II!
Another Kind of Mystery
Before I get to a list of the resources, I want to share a funny, interesting little associated discovery that happened during research.
There's a book I need to find and read. It's called The Cranefly Orchid Murders – Martha's Vinyard Mystery #2, by Cynthia Riggs. A family has land that will be developed. The Conservation Trust enlists the story's protagonist, Victoria Trumbull, to search the land for any endangered plant, as the state prohibits bulldozing of a habitat where a rare or endangered plant is found. During her search (with a young friend), Victoria, well, discovers a body, and thus the mystery takes off. The synopsis of the book does note that Victoria also finds a patch of Cranefly Orchids, which are rare in that part of its range.
Relating to my own woodland: it was endangered before. A previous owner got really happy anytime he drove a bulldozer, and he took it all around the woods, shrinking the size of the woodland. Our buying the land saved it from further bulldozing, just as Victoria's find of a clump of Cranefly Orchids saved some land from being bulldozed.
The next big threat to my woodland was invasive plants, which rapidly took over, some becoming huge, and all of them out-competing native plants. The diligent work that Richard and I (and friends who have helped) have done for years, and continue to do, has saved this woodland and allowed native flora and fauna to prosper – including those Cranefly Orchids.
Resources
“A Tantalizing Promise – Cranefly Orchid”
Published March 15, 2017
Web site: The Natural Web: Exploring Nature's Connections
A Tantalizing Promise – Cranefly Orchid | The Natural Web (the-natural-web.org)
“Cranefly Orchid: A cryptic native orchid”
Published March 16, 2021
Web site: Backyard Ecology: Creating Space for Pollinators and Wildlife
https://www.backyardecology.net/cranefly-orchid-tipularia-discolor-a-cryptic-native-orchid
“Importance of woody debris in seed germination of Tipularia discolor (Orchidaceae)”
Hanne N. Rasmussen and Dennis F. Whigham
American Journal of Botony
First published June 1, 1998
Importance of woody debris in seed germination of Tipularia discolor (Orchidaceae) (wiley.com)
“Plant of the Week: Crane-fly Orchid (Tipularia discolor (Pursh) Nutt.)
Susan Hooks
Web site: U.S. Forest Service: Wildflowers
Moths or Eastern North America
(Peterson Field Guide)
Charles V. Covell, Jr.
Houghton Mifflin, 1984
Wildflowers and Ferns of Indiana Forests: A Field Guide
Michael A. Homoya
Indiana University Press, 2011
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Exciting Update on October 22, 2021
I FOUND THEM!!!
I was determined to keep looking, and this day, with not much on the ground but dead leaves, and not many of those yet, should help the Cranefly leaves show up better.
I was persistent and, finally ... there they were!!
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