2007 - August - My attempt to find Triphora trianthophora (three-birds orchid) in full bloom in the Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina. Here are some photos taken over a period of time of the Triphora plants as they mature from bud stage to full bloom. This set of photos will cover many days, as one cannot always predict the date the flowers will bloom.

Note: On the four photos of the flower being pollinated by a Halictid bee, I apologize for the lack of clarity/focus, but the bee was fast, the light level was very low, and I was unprepared to see this exciting process...

An additional observation: Most of the plants I photographed were only fifty feet or less from a fairly busy highway. While walking back and forth along the highway that links the several Triphora sites, I saw about a dozen plants in full bloom no further than eight feet from the busy paved highway! They were growing in the sand and gravel that lines the edge of the road. What a surprise for me, since I thought this species was one that required a thick, loamy habitat to thrive. I've learned a lot by studying the plants at this great location.

*** Click on any photo to enlarge it...