Rare Orchids Bloom in Industrial Park

A cranberry bog in east-central Pennsylvania has created a major stir in the orchid world. Two rare orchids have been found growing in a relatively small 2-acre bog ringed by sphagnum moss. The rarity of the orchids found there is not the only thing that makes this habitat such an unusual find. The bog is located on the edge of the Valmont Industrial Park in West Hazleton, Pennsylvania, a most unexpected place to discover orchids of such rare beauty. The two orchid species have been found growing in only one other place in the U.S., a single site in Georgia.

Both of the rare orchids found in the Valmont bog produce spikes with a hyacinth-like ball of small, delicate blooms at the top. One of the orchids is white-fringed; the other, yellow-fringed. Natural cross-pollination between the two orchids has produced natural hybrids in an amazing array of exotic colors that orchid experts say are seen nowhere else in the orchid world. “You get yellow, apricot, streaks of orange and whites, spots on the lip that is just absolutely mind-boggling,” Bob Sprague of the Native Orchid Conference said in an article recently posted on CitizensVoice.com (click the link to see a photo of one of the orchids). Sprague has been working with local Pennsylvania groups to create a nature preserve to protect the orchids and other unusual plant species that grow in and around the bog.

An underlying layer of hard coal has created an extremely acidic, nearly sterile bog environment in which few plant and animal organisms are able to survive. Despite that challenge, 5 species of common native orchids also make their home near the bog, including Pink Lady Slippers, Ladies’ Tresses and Lily-Leaved Twayblades. Bladderwort, Butterwort, Sundew and Venus Fly Trap are a few of the other unusual flowers that have colonized the bog. While only rough trails exist as yet, the preserve is open to the public.

Click here to see a photo of the rare orchid

Photo credit: naturalhistoryman