Dawson Trail Dispatch, written by Norm Gregoire, June 2025
Page 17
When June arrives in the tall-grass prairie, I start to shift my neck position from looking up in the sky, searching for migrating birds, to staring down at the ground, as it is the start of wildflower season. The next few months are when the tall-grass prairie is at its best. The variety of species we can find from June to September is outstanding. A June-blooming favourite of mine and many others would be the lady’s-slipper. There are six different species of lady’s-slipper that can be found in the province, including the endangered small-white lady’s-slipper that grows in the tall-grass prairie. Although some lady’s-slipper species are rarer than others, they all share a similar appearance that captivates all who spend time with them.
The unique shape of the flower is what catches the eyes of admirers of this orchid, but onlookers may not realize just how intricate the flower design is. The shape has adapted to act as a temporary trap for visiting pollinators, ensuring that they move past reproductive parts and promoting cross-pollination when visiting another lady’s-slipper. Researchers have witnessed a pollinator take over fifteen minutes to find its way out of the flower. What’s harsh is that this pollinator did not even get the reward of nectar from the flower. Lady’s-slippers are considered false pollinators and do not give out these rewards. This is a form of deceptive pollination where the flowers falsely advertise a reward to trick the pollinators into paying a visit.
Lady’s-slippers can be found throughout the entire province, meaning the habitat that an individual species depends on may vary. For example, the moccasin-flower prefers mature jack pine forests with acidic soil, whereas the northern-growing sparrow’s-egg lady’s-slipper prefers sandy or gravelly soil. On the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve, four species can be found: small white, northern small yellow, large yellow, and showy. The preserve provides varied habitats for each species, from prairie to mixed forests to bogs, which make it an excellent area to search for these orchids. All lady’s-slippers throughout Manitoba requires a specific mycorrhizal soil fungus, which forms a symbiotic relationship with the root system. This is perhaps the greatest need for the lady’s-slipper.
Lady’s-slippers and orchids in general are sensitive species that take their time to mature. Lady’s-slippers can take years to bloom; some species may only bloom after sixteen years! When they do bloom, they sure are eye-catching. The admiration of lady’s-slippers makes it a common target for folks who want to add it to their backyard flowerbed. Requiring a specific soil fungus to survive means that, when moved, an imbalance in soil composition would ultimately spell doom for the orchid. Lady’s-slippers also have a wide-spreading, fibrous root system, which makes it impossible to move them without damaging the root system. If you are keen on having lady’s-slippers in your home garden, please make sure to use a reputable nursery that has laboratory-propagated plants. Let’s leave the wild orchids where they belong so the next generations can enjoy them as much as we have.
Adventures with Nature Norm
If you are interested in learning more about lady’s-slippers and spending some time with these orchids, please join the June 7th edition of Adventures with Nature Norm. The Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve is the best place to see the endangered small-white lady’s-slipper, which should be in bloom depending on conditions leading up to the walk. For more information and to register, please email info@sharedlegacymb.ca. I hope to see you there!