Hidden Treasures On A Fishing Trip

While out on a fun family fishing vacation near Temagami, ON, Karina spotted two lesser-known native plants in the wild.

The first one she found was one of Ontario’s native orchids, the Pink Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium acaule)

The Pink Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium acaule) is an interesting plant. It can be found in dense forests where moss and fungi can be found. Karina spotted this specimin in a coniferous forest, as is typically found in northern Ontario. The Pink Lady’s-slipper has a neat way of reproducing – it relies on fungus found in the soil! The seeds of most orchids do not have a food supply attached to them, so the Pink Lady’s-slipper’s seeds are opened by fungi threads and are even fed by those fungi! In return, once the Pink Lady’s-slipper is mature, the fungi will feed on the roots of the plant. These orchids often take years before the plant is ready to produce seeds, with the plant itself living for up to 20 years. More can be learned about this species on the U.S. Forest Service website.

The second plant Karina found was the only native pitcher plant in Canada, the Purple Pitcherplant (Sarracenia purpurea) which is the official flower of Newfoundland and Labrador!

Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants that feed on insects that are lured into their traps with a sweet-smelling nectar on the rim of their “pitchers”. The Purple Pitcherplant is one of 18 carnivorous plant species in Canada, and varies in colour based on its habitat. These plants live in bogs and thrive on nutrient deficient substrate, as they receive their nutrients from the plants they consume instead of the soil. The “pitchers” on the Purple Pitcherplant are created to trap the flies within as they have hairs all along the inside which cover smooth walls. When in bloom, they have a showy dark purple/red flower. Read more about the Purple Pitcherplant on the Nature Conservatory Canada (NCC) website!

These 2 untraditional native plants serve as a reminder that native plants are everywhere and come in all shapes and sizes.