Cypripedium montanum x parviflorum hybrid lady's-slipper orchid -- possible true Cyp. montanum -- note dark red veins inside lip

On the final day of field trips at the 2010 annual Native Orchid Conference symposium, we had an alternate field trip site at the Baker Creek Rest Area in British Columbia on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Jasper Provential Park.

This is a very good area for these particular lady's-slipper orchids, because there are hundreds of them growing just next to the road.

The strange thing about these orchids is that they all appear to be hybrid crosses between Cypripedium montanum and Cypripedium parviflorum without either pure parent orchid being present -- at least none that we could see. Normally, Cyp. montanum has a white lip and dark reddish brown sepals and petals. Cyp. parviflorum has a yellow lip and brownish green sepals and petals. Although we found a few plants with dark sepals and petals, none of them seemed to rise to the level of being the true Cyp. montanum species. So this is a true puzzlement.

In any case, the flowers were beautiful and plentiful, and provided us with many photographic opportunities.