Pink Parade of Orchids / Flying Tiger

The news from this side of the Barrens is that spring is perking right along. This was a day that turned a bit toasty in the afternoon, but a robust breeze kept things comfortable, and brought down tons of pollen and stuff from the trees. You had to keep blinking your eyes; they were full of grit.

I took my bike over to the Barrens to check out our lady's slippers on this end. The last time I was there, I discovered the first pink blooms. It hasn't been long in time, but lots and lots has happened since then!

I showed you orchids yesterday too, I know. Those were the Tow Hill ones. It was funny. I was thinking that I must go to see orchids, but as it turns out, I walked right by some, without noticing them. Then it was like I put my orchid eyes on, and there they were! Pink and lovely, at my feet.

The lady's slippers, or moccasin flowers, are especially evident near the third pond. In fact, they grow right along the main path. The third pond is the one I call porcupine pond, and it was one of the first places where I ever saw the pollen rainbows.

These five orchids appear at a little bend in the trail. To the left of that trail and down a little bit is the third pond. If you look a little closer, above the heads of the three pink ladies on the right edge of the photo, you can see more pink curvy orchids just another 10 or so feet away. Yes, it's just like this: they're right there, where you can see!

I had a fun time photographing the pink ladies, and then I came back down out of the Barrens to head for home. There is a big spray of (I think) wild pink azaleas right there by the parking lot, and a large yellow butterfly flittered by. 

I got a few shots of it on the pink blooms before it disappeared. You may see one of my pictures in the extras. There is lots of blue on the back wings of this butterfly, though you can't see that in this shot, and so I believe it is a female eastern tiger swallowtail. An article I read recently called them Flying Tigers, and Tiny Tiger is immensely pleased with that. So Flying Tigers they shall be from this point on!

In other strange sightings, I almost think I saw one of my "fancy bugs," which is to say a hummingbird moth, on those very same pink wild azaleas. It was skinny and yellow, looking like Hemaris diffinis, a snowberry clearwing. But I did not get a shot so my report is unsubstantiated, and I may be wrong. It could not POSSIBLY have been one of those as early as this; I have never seen one in these parts before July!

I have two photos, so let's have two songs. First, for my pink parade of lady's slipper orchids, Cypripedium acaule, I've got Pink Floyd, with Wish You Were Here. For my Flying Tiger Lady in the extras, here's Donovan, with Mellow Yellow. Oh, I'm just mad about saffron. . . .