Northern Green Bog Orchis

This is Platanthera aquilonis, the Northern Green Bog Orchis, photographed along the Richardson Highway in Thompson Pass and one of the few orchids we found on our Alaska trip. The mild winter and warm spring and summer meant that everything there was early just as it had been here. Platanthera aquilonis is part of a complex of green-flowered species that intergrade into each other and are often difficult to identify, but this is a classic example of the species, with its short spur and yellowish lip.