It’s not a bird! Not a plane! But it is odd, a single green, oval leaf poking up from the fallen brown leaves all around and pointing straight up at the sky. And not plain old green on its underside, no siree—it’s purple! There may even be purple bumps on the top side. If you stop for a minute, you may see others, singly or in a mass, and in varying postures depending on the sun hitting the ground through the bare trees. Each leaf is a single plant. How many plants do you know like that? What it is is Tipularia Discolor, one of North Carolina’s sixty-four—get that—native orchids aka cranefly or crippled cranefly orchid. Here are some closeup photos by a Durham nature photographer: https://www.jeffpippen.com/plants/tipularia.htm
This August, look for a patch of up to twenty-inch tall stems flowering on the Duke Forest fire road behind the Deerfield Apartments, the one that has the picnic shelter at its other end. Theyare at the corner of the farthest arm of the y-intersection on the left side of the fire road, i.e., the arm up the hill from the entrance to the interpretive Shepherd Nature Trail on the right. They are at the base of a big oak right next to the fire road. You can’t miss it because the tree has a hole where a large branch used to be just a few feet above the ground. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx1xI9IHOPM
Or you may not have to go that far because Diane and LeAnn have a small patch of them in their front yard. Just now, the green and purple leaves are gone everywhere, but check for flower stems beginning early July. If you access the trail between 708 and 710 by walking along the left edge of their yard down the slope from the sidewalk toward the big green telecom box, look to the left at the base of the slope and cross fingers. A careful look may only reveal well-camouflaged, slender, brown stems before they’re ready to bloom. Here is an excellent article on all stages of the plant’s growth and much more, illustrated with photos: https://durhammastergardeners.com/2020/07/30/a-real-hidden-gem-cranefly-orchid-tipularia-discolor
I have yet to see a flowering Tipularia in my years of looking for them. The wet winter encouraged a lot of growth this year, but since the plant likes moisture, it’s hard to know what this spring’s drought may portend for blooms. I will give a heads up if I find them on the fire road, and perhaps so will LeAnn and Diane. Meanwhile, if you are in a pine-oak area with suitable moisture anywhere inclusive of all of the states east of a diagonal from Texas to Michigan and Pennsylvania, you have another chance to see them. Good hunting!
Other native NC orchids: https://plants.ncwildflower.org/plant_galleries/orchids
by Meredith
