Kitty Todd Walk

Yesterday there was a guided walk at the Nature Conservancy's Kitty Todd Preserve.  They recently acquired their 1000th acre.  

It was raining off and on, so we weren't out long.  We did make it to an area that had been a pig farm.  An early manager of the preserve learned that rare plants grew up in areas a neighboring shooting range had bulldozed, so he did the same, with equal success.  

The white flowers in the photo above are Colic Root - an indicator of a healthy wetland.

We had hoped to see the Orange-fringed Orchids, to no avail.  We did get to see Grass Pink Orchids.  Click here to learn how the structure of the flower is important in it's pollination.

This is another saprophyte known as Indian Pipe.  They need no chlorophyll because they obtain their energy by tapping into roots of fungi.