Cleistes divaricata (Rosebud Orchid)

Today, two of my flickr buddies and I met up in Boiling Spring Lakes in Brunswick County, North Carolina to see what spring orchids we could find. We lucked out with two species that were in tip-top shape.

These were a bit early for the Green Swamp area. Usually, they start blooming the first week in June. I'm not complaining, though -- we were quite happy to find so many in such good condition...