Calypso Orchid

Fairy Slipper, Venus Slipper

If you're hiking through a pine forest in the Canadian Rockies at higher elevations from May to July, you may spot Calypso Orchids. The single, showy flowers on long purple stems (4-8 in) can also be found in damp forests or bogs of eastern North America.

Calypso Orchids do not grow well if disturbed and have been reduced to small colonies in remote locations.

The purple petals and sepals spread out above a slipper-shaped pouch that is white with purple streaks and a yellow beard decorated with purple dots. The flowers have a pleasant, vanilla-like perfume. A single, large, dark-green leaf appears in autumn at the base of the plants.

Did you know? North America has about 250 native orchids, but many of them are rare or endangered. Calypso Orchids are one of the most beautiful.

See Also: Yellow Lady's Slipper

Hard - can be difficult to spot. They may be few in number or not readily visible (for example, underground).

Forests are large areas of trees growing close together.

Wetlands are low-lying areas that are covered by water all or most of the time and support a variety of aquatic plants. This habitat includes rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, bogs, and marshes.