Cypripedium 2011

[Hakone]

Dear David,

thanks you very much , you and Lucas are right.

[BULBISSIME]

my first Cypripedium reginae

[fleurbleue]

Nice flower also, Bulbi 

[BULBISSIME]

Merci BlueFlower 

[Graham Catlow]

bug****
I can't believe it and I don't know what to write. Perhaps the pictures will tell their own story.
What do you think has vandalised this.
This is my second attempt with this species and I can't take credit for getting it flowering as I bought it in January as flowering size but I think it is doing well and I think I have got things right this time until this!!
Cypripedium lichiangense

I said already that I though snail damage was the problem for you, Graham... and I just found this example on a Hellebore leaf...... you can see that the wee snail is munching a perfect hole in the centre of the leaf, just like the damage on your cyp.
Click on the pictures to enlarge them....

Just the same Maggi. Slug pellets are deposited but no signs of the little devil. Perhaps he made his way to Aberdeen. Would have had turbo speed with the quality of food he got from me.

[Tony Willis]

Went to see the cypripediums which are being re-established in the wild near Arnside today. They were at their best.

Cypripedium calceolus

[Anthony Darby]

That's amazing Tony. Are they guarded? Wasn't the plant at Arnside (which has a dubious history) pulled out by some vandal a few years ago?

[BULBISSIME]

Wonderfull Tony !
I also hope they are in a safe place, superb clumps in excellent condition.
Are they also earlier this year than usual ?

[Slug Killer]

In photo two the Cyp seems to be growing out of a pipe. Is this some sort of protection against theft or Grahams snails?

[Tony Willis]

That's amazing Tony. Are they guarded? Wasn't the plant at Arnside (which has a dubious history) pulled out by some vandal a few years ago?

These particular one have been planted on a nature reserve over a number of years. They are not near the vandalised plant which was in another area and is in fact not thought to be a native but an introduction from the continent. They are not guarded and actually there is a directed walk to see them which is risky but I understand there are others planted more discretely. We went today because they are about two weeks earlier than last year and in fact one clump had gone over.

[Anthony Darby]

A far cry from when the one remaining plant in Yorkshire was guarded and protected by having its flowers removed every year by the locals, until Kew decided to do something about it. Arnside Knott is a special place. I've only been there in August to see Scotch Argus (Erebia aethiops) butterflies. I think it's one of only two places in England that it is still found?

[Maren]

Lovely to see the Cyp. calceolus being re-established. I have watched this project for a long time, it has been a struggle and it is wonderful to see some encouraging results.

[Anthony Darby]

I second that. It was seeing it in the Brooke Bond picture cards (Wild Flowers series 3) that got me hooked on orchids. My grandmother, who died in 1971, pressed wild flowers. I still have her collection.

[Peter Maguire]

A couple of portraits of plants currently in flower:

Cypripedium calceolus

Cypripedium Philipp

[angie]

Peter very nice pictures of your Cypripediums 

Angie