Liparis loeselii (Loesel's Twayblade orchid)

Today, I met a flickr buddy, Jim Petranka, in the Pisgah National Forest near Brevard, North Carolina. He had seen my images of Liparis loeselii, and he wanted to check it out, himself. The single plant (we found only one) was in full bloom, so we spent an hour or so photographing it from different angles. Another good day in the field with a good friend...

In this shot, it is easy to see the pollinium (male part) about to drop down onto the stigma (female part), thereby pollinating the flower. For this species, this is usually accomplished by raindrops hitting the flower without the use of an insect pollinator...