Yadon's piperia ~ 08/27/10 ~ Skyline Forest Drive

Yadon's rein orchid
Piperia yadonii
CNPS 8th Edition Inventory
Orchidaceae

Okay, okay, I've already said I've had enough of these orchid pics. It's our "thing" this summer to look for orchids, whereas last year we were really into grunion greeting. Just wanted to log and post pictorial proof of the end of the Yadon's blooms at the same time and location of the elegant piperia shown on this same date.

elegant piperia ~ 08/27/10 ~ Skyline Forest Drive

elegant rein orchid
Piperia elegans
Orchidaceae

We've been periodically following the bloom of this individual orchid since July 25 when we went on our Yadon's piperia hunt. This location is literally on the side of the road, which makes it easy to stop on the way home (unlike hour-long runs up 1000 ft. of elevation to see Michael's piperia). To follow a pictorial tour of this bloom progression click elegant piperia. I consulted with our orchid friend on Flickr. He was kind enough to explain about length of spurs and and upper petals curving towards dorsal sepals. But, it's Greek to me. We did agree that the timing of the bloom a whole month after Yadon's only a couple yards away makes it likely this is elegant or a hybrid.

Yadon's piperia ~ 08/09/10 ~ Skyline Forest Drive

Yadon's rein orchid
Piperia yadonii
CNPS 8th Edition Inventory
Orchidaceae

Do you like the dirt and grime on this orchid? I guess that's what you get when it grows 5 feet away from the road. Too bad they mow so heavily in the area to keep the roadsides clear. I wonder if there'd be more Yadon's piperia if they didn't mow.

elegant piperia ~ 08/09/10 ~ Skyline Forest Drive

elegant rein orchid
Piperia elegans
Orchidaceae

I'm making an early ID, even though this isn't in full bloom yet. I've been documenting this particular individual with posts on August 4 and July 25. Amazingly, it looks very similar to Yadon's piperia. Simply based on the timing of the bloom, I'm guessing it's a different species.

elegant piperia ~ 08/04/10 ~ Skyline Forest Drive

unknown orchid
Orchidaceae

We checked on this, but it's still not enough in bloom to ID. Will check again later, if the deer haven't eaten it. I noticed many of the asparagus looking shoots from July 25, 2010 at Skyline had been browsed upon to the nub.

ps 07/23/11 - For an updated ID on this orchid, check out my August 27, 2010 elegant piperia post.

elegant piperia ~ 07/25/10 ~ Skyline Forest Drive

unknown orchid
Orchidaceae

We plan to keep an eye out for this asparagus looking shoot. I don't think it's Yadon's piperia, because it's a bit behind the bloom stage of the Yadon's only 25 feet away.

ps 07/23/11 - For an updated ID on this orchid, check out my August 27, 2010 elegant piperia post.

Yadon's piperia ~ 07/25/10 ~ Skyline Forest Drive

Yadon's rein-orchid
Piperia yadonii
CNPS 8th Edition Inventory
Orchidaceae

Again, another post to show the variation, location, and timing of this local federally endangered orchid. For us, it seems they are everywhere. We were simply driving to another location to show our new orchid friend where they are locally and saw blue flags on the side of the road. We stopped, of course, and found numerous blooming Yadon's. It's very typical to see rattlesnake grass (Briza maxima) wrapped around the orchid shoots.