Lady Slippers...

When I first moved to the property, I found a whole patch of these in the woods. I stupidly picked one to research what is was as I had not seen them before. Once I found out that these little orchids are on the endangered list..it's only look but don't touch now.
Lady's slippers grow from seed, though it appears to be an arduous process. They can take from ten to fifteen years to flower after seeds germinate and the rate of germination is never very high. The seeds don't contain cotyledons (a built-in source of food) that all other seeds contain. The seed needs to come in contact with a beneficial fungus that will provide it with necessary nutrients.