Ladies Tresses Orchid

I never paid much attention to the handful of flower spikes that popped up in my front yard every May, until I heard Amanda McNulty on SCETV radio talking about the Lady’s tresses orchids that would fill her yard every summer. Sometimes it takes an “aha moment” to identify a plant, and that’s what happened to me.

There are almost fifty species of lady’s tresses orchids in the genus Spiranthes, and they are worldwide. The ones in my yard usually bloom in May, near the beginning of mowing season, and since identifying them as orchids, I have been known to mow around them until they finish blooming.

The plant itself is hidden in the turf, but when the flower stalk emerges, they are very noticeable. They grow to more than a foot in some cases, and have a fairly thick stalk. The flowers are very small, with dozens of them forming a spiral around the stem, resembling ladies’ tresses. They are active for weeks, with the lower flowers blooming first while the uppermost ones are still forming.

Their blooms may be gone this year, but I look forward to May when I will see them again.