Indiana wildflowers

[OpenWater]

Indiana was once largely a huge and very dense forest (Jackson, 1997). (Hard to believe if you've driven through, but true.) Many wildflowers adapted to this by growing and blooming in the available sunlight before the trees produced their dense canopy of leaves. Thus, one can still see some amazing wildflowers, including orchids, in the springtime here. Here are a few recent ones.

Jackson, M. T. (Ed.), (1997). The Natural Heritage of Indiana. Indiana University Press.



More here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/22121746@ ... 7546740120

[minoly]

Fine photos! The Larkspur and the Yellow Ladyslipper particularly caught my attention. It's been a funny Spring for us and I didn't get out to see the early flowers this time. I did get out to see Indiana beat Minnesota in the baseball game last Sunday, though; it was a great day for a baseball game even though my team lost.

Bill Delehanty

[PFMcFarland]

Beautiful shots. I hope they're still blooming when I go home in a couple of weeks.

PF

[Julio1fer]

Nice Spring images and excellent selective focus. I had no idea you got orchids that far north.

[OpenWater]

Thanks for your comments. PF, the Lady's slippers are found along the road to the fire tower in the Charles Deam Wilderness south of Bloomington. I'm told, but haven't seen them, that there are other showy orchids blooming in the T C Steele Historic Site in Brown County. Julio, it was news to me as well before I moved here. It turns out Indiana has more species than Hawaii. Go figure!

http://www.tcsteele.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_C ... rness_Area
http://hoosiergardener.com/?p=8237