Trending: pink lady's slipper (Cypripedium acaule) — 880 observations this week
iNaturalist Community
Native Plants
Pink lady's slippers growing in your local woods take 10–15 years to first bloom and can't survive transplanting — spotting one is a sign the surrounding forest soil and mycorrhizal fungi are still intact.
Pink lady's slipper is a wild orchid with a puffy pink pouch-shaped flower that blooms in spring across eastern forests. It needs a very specific soil fungus to survive and is notoriously impossible to transplant or grow in gardens. This week, thousands of people spotted and logged them in bloom, giving scientists and nature lovers alike a real-time map of where healthy populations still exist.
Key Findings
880 research-grade observations were recorded this week, indicating peak bloom timing for Cypripedium acaule across its range
The species requires a specialized mycorrhizal fungal partnership to germinate and survive, making its presence an indicator of undisturbed forest soil health
Pink lady's slipper can take 10–15 years to produce its first flower, so observed adult plants represent decades of stable habitat
chevron_right Technical Summary
Pink lady's slipper, a striking native orchid, generated 880 research-grade observations on iNaturalist this week, signaling peak bloom season across eastern North America and a surge of community naturalist activity.
Abstract Preview
pink lady's slipper is among the most observed plant species this week with 880 research-grade observations.
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Species Mentioned
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Cypripedium acaule, the pink lady's slipper or moccasin flower, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae native to eastern North America. It is currently the provincial flower of Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the state wildflower of New Hampshire, United States.