Ever since I saw these leaves with purple bottoms years ago, I have been on the hunt to see cranefly orchid flowers in person! You’ll see their leaves in the woods in the winter or early spring. They are eye catching when they are upside down, displaying their purple color. But by the time summer rolls around, the leaves have died back. A single flower stem grows where the leaves once were, and tiny, brown flowers start to bloom. The flowers blend in with the leaf litter, making them very hard to see.
Cranefly orchids (Tipularia discolor) bloom from June to September in our area. Last winter, I took careful notes about the location of their leaves. I’ve been keeping an eye on the area all summer. I really thought that an animal had eaten the plant, because I wasn’t seeing any flowers and it’s August already! Today, my luck finally changed. The cranefly orchid flowers had bloomed in a place that I could see them!
I stepped in the mud and risked mosquito bites, just so that I could get a closer look. I’m so glad I did. Aren’t they beautiful?