One of our most interesting wildflowers is the lady’s slipper – a variety of the wild orchid family – which is named for its shoe-shaped blossoms. There are six distinct species of lady’s slippers in Manitoba, as well as a couple of recently discovered hybrids. They range from quite common varieties, to fairly rare ones, with one variety classed as endangered. Some begin blooming in late May but most flower in June or early July.
The most common variety is the yellow lady’s slipper, of which there are two subvarieties – northern small and large yellow – though casual observers may not notice the difference. The size of the pouch and the stripes on it vary, as does the flower’s fragrance. The yellow lady’s slipper grows in a wide variety of habitat – meadows, forests, black spruce and tamarack bogs, as well as in disturbed areas such as roadside ditches. They may grow as single plants about 20 to 40 cm tall or, if the environment is suitable, may develop into large clumps.
So now that you know about lady slippers, here is the meaning of this post. On the way to Dauphin a few weeks ago, I was driving along and it was starting to rain. All along the park I had noticed yellow flowers in the ditch and was surprised at how many dandelions there were. Of course I was more focused on trying to spot a moose or a bear on the side of the road. They were actually lady slippers.
My Grandfather searched for them when I was a kid and could spot them a mile away, like a blueberry or a mushroom. To this day I can identify them without a flower if we are in the bush.
As a kid my Grandfather told me that the pink ones were rare and when I suggested that a few weeks ago on a Facebook post, I got my schooled in lady slippers. Turns out they aren’t rare and it appears these pretty little flowers are growing in abundance in our province.
CRUMBLING MEMORIES 