Trending: pink lady's slipper (Cypripedium acaule) — 370 observations this week
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Native Plants
If you walk any eastern woodland trail this month, you have a real chance of spotting one of North America's most spectacular native orchids in peak bloom — but only if the forest around it has stayed undisturbed for decades.
Pink lady's slipper is a stunning wild orchid that grows in undisturbed eastern forests, and right now it's blooming in big numbers. Citizen scientists across North America logged 370 confirmed sightings this week alone, suggesting a strong bloom year. These orchids are notoriously finicky — they depend on a specific soil fungus to survive and can take years to flower — so a bumper observation week is genuinely exciting news.
Key Findings
370 research-grade observations were recorded this week, making pink lady's slipper one of the most-observed plant species on iNaturalist during this period.
Pink lady's slipper (Cypripedium acaule) requires a precise fungal partner in the soil to germinate and persist, making it a reliable indicator of old-growth or long-undisturbed forest habitat.
Peak bloom timing captured by citizen-science observations provides real-time phenology data that helps track how flowering dates shift with changing spring temperatures year over year.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Pink lady's slipper orchids are blooming across North America right now, with 370 research-grade sightings logged this week on iNaturalist — one of the highest observation counts for this iconic wildflower.
Abstract Preview
pink lady's slipper is among the most observed plant species this week with 370 research-grade observations.
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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.