The Pink Ladyslipper Trail 2017 - Part 2

The dogs and I were exploring the Ladyslipper Trail, site of an explosion of wild orchid blossoms last year. This year, however, we were too early. But the forest was beautiful, even mysterious, and the dogs were happy:

Tree Club Moss, often called Princess Pine:

Lowbush Blueberries:

Lots of pine seedlings. I counted the needles per bundle and declared them White Pine. The big trees were mixed Red and White, though, so it would only be natural that the seedlings would be also:

And then I saw a Pink Ladyslipper in bloom. I'd given up hope of finding one, so this was a big occasion and I made sure to get a photo:

And then, just a few feet away, was another one:

Fergus and Daphne were puzzled by my stops to snap photos of flowers, but it didn't interfere with their fun:

I was in a mood to appreciate beauty, and this old stump, cut decades ago and covered with moss and lichens, was in mind, an exquisite work of art:

And then I saw a third Pink Ladyslipper:

The dogs ran ahead into a section we hadn't visited before so I followed:

And indeed it was beautiful:

Another Ladyslipper. Clearly, there were some plants flowering earlier than others, and I'd managed to stumble onto the early bloomers. But we weren't done yet. I'll post Part 3 tomorrow: