Annual Ladyslipper Walk - Part 1

I was about a week late this year, but our spring was much delayed and I hoped it would work out. This year I invited a friend along. After showing her the horses and cattle at the farm, we put the dogs in the car and drove to nearby Brasher State Forest to look for the wild orchids:

Besides my five dogs, she brought her dog, Teddy. They all had a grand time and behaved beautifully:

But Pink Ladyslippers were hard to find, and the few we did see were smaller and more pale than normal:

But we kept walking and watching:

And then more orchids began to appear:

Daphne sniffed a flower and Fergus sniffed Daphne's butt:

As the number of orchids increased, so did their size and color:

Some, in fact, were downright gorgeous:

Daphne truly enjoyed herself as we searched for Pink Ladyslippers:

They tended to grow most commonly at the base of pine trees, either big trees or seedlings:

The dogs were more interested in smelling what animal may have passed that way:

The farther we walked, the more numerous the orchids became. It was clear that our timing was good. But there was yet more to see, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: