What does a fairy slipper smell like? Rosewater Orange blossom Honey Cloves Subtle yet irresistible Unique in all the world The guidebooks do not mention this. It is a secret Known only to those of us Who cannot help But poke our noses Into every bud and flower Emerging sticky with resin Dusted with pollen Inadvertently being bees.
I went out back to the quarter acre wood on our homestead to look again for some fairy slippers. I do a botanical survey back there every year to see how the Calypso is doing. They have either gone dormant, or they have elected to not grow there anymore. I only found one. There are usually 11 or 12. Sigh!
I got on my knees and smelled it and it has a wonderful honey scent,as you described .
🥹 oh my. This radiant wild beauty never fails to give me butterflies. Thank you for getting in close with her to drink that hidden essence.. so that we might all get a waft of that tropical floral nectar.
I had no idea they also live in the high mountains farther south, that seems a surprising place for a delicate beauty that I am used to finding in misty, mossy, evergreen rainforests. I'm glad you are able to find and connect with them as well!
Yes they only grow here in those high places with enough snowmelt to saturate the ground until mid summer. They are rare here and it’s an ecstatic treat to find even one growing. I first met her when I was at herb school in west sonoma county and they were all over the forest floor there!!
Hi Mark!
I went out back to the quarter acre wood on our homestead to look again for some fairy slippers. I do a botanical survey back there every year to see how the Calypso is doing. They have either gone dormant, or they have elected to not grow there anymore. I only found one. There are usually 11 or 12. Sigh!
I got on my knees and smelled it and it has a wonderful honey scent,as you described .
It was so worth it.
Annette
I'm glad to hear I inspired a new discovery :-). I remember being amazed the first time I nosed up to one, not expecting anything.
🥹 oh my. This radiant wild beauty never fails to give me butterflies. Thank you for getting in close with her to drink that hidden essence.. so that we might all get a waft of that tropical floral nectar.
She grows here too but only sparsely and in the Aspen forests around 9-10,000 ft elevation.. and doesn’t emerge until June!
I had no idea they also live in the high mountains farther south, that seems a surprising place for a delicate beauty that I am used to finding in misty, mossy, evergreen rainforests. I'm glad you are able to find and connect with them as well!
Yes they only grow here in those high places with enough snowmelt to saturate the ground until mid summer. They are rare here and it’s an ecstatic treat to find even one growing. I first met her when I was at herb school in west sonoma county and they were all over the forest floor there!!
Thanks for bringing these subtle magics
What a delight! I can't wait to cross paths again, now knowing this secret!
Lovely. Thank you. Are they a kind of orchid?
Yes, and they're also in northern Europe.
Yes, they're familiar, though I don't think I've ever seen one in the wild.