Featured – Native Orchid Conference – 2019 – North American Orchid Conservation Center

Showy Lady’s Slipper Cypripedium reginae

The Queen Lady's Slipper reigns throughout the Bruce Peninsula.
Photo © Hal Horwitz

Ram’s Head Lady’s Slipper Cypripedium

Butting heads! One of the smaller lady’s slippers but guaranteed to put on a show.
Photo © Hal Horwitz

Yellow Lady’s Slipper Cypripedium parviflorum var. makasin

On the Bruce Peninsula, this scented variety of the Yellow Lady's Slipper grows in swampy locations.
Photo © David McAdoo

Moccasin Flower Cypripedium acaule

These Pink Lady’s Slippers prefer acid conditions, such as those found under the Jack Pines on the northern part of the Bruce Peninsula.
Photo © Hal Horwitz

Dwarf Rattlesnake Plantain Goodyera repens

All 4 species of North America’s Goodyera grow in the Bruce region, including the Dwarf Rattlesnake Plantain. A bit early to catch them in flower, their evergreen, variegated leaves can be discovered at any time of the year.
Photo © Hal Horwitz

Fairy Slipper Calypso bulbosa

Catch this tiny orchid skipping through shaded knolls and thickets of spruce and cedar, often in the company of violets and the Striped Coralroot.
Photo © Hal Horwitz

Striped Coralroot Corallorhiza striata

Intense, red striping makes this the most attractive coralroot growing on the peninsula.
Photo © Hal Horwitz

Northern Coralroot Corallorhiza trifida

A distinctive yellow-green coralroot that grows in the conifer-dominated uplands on the northern Bruce Peninsula. This species is the only coralroot that also grows in Europe and Asia.
Photo © Hal Horwitz

Showy Orchid Galearis spectabilis

One of the earliest flowering orchids in the area.
Photo © Hal Horwitz

Roundleaf Orchid Galearis rotundifolia

This orchid prefers cold and shaded bogs and swamps. Rare on the Bruce Peninsula, a population has been reported near the Keppel Township.
Photo © Hal Horwitz

Frog Orchid Dactylorhiza viridis

Ferns

Not just orchids! Rare ferns, such as these Northern Holly & Hart's Tongue Ferns can be found in the area.
Photo © David McAdoo

Grass Pink Calopogon tuberosus

This species of Calopogon is the only one that occurs this far north, growing in open fens and soggy marl flats.
Photo © Hal Horwitz

Dragon’s Mouth Arethusa bulbosa

Although rare, this orchid grows in fens and bogs on the central Bruce Peninsula, often in the company of carnivorous plants.
Photo © Hal Horwitz

NATIVE ORCHID CONFERENCE – 2019

©Hal Horwitz

In June of 2003, the Native Orchid Conference was held on the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. This year, the 18th consecutive conference returns to the world-famous, orchid-rich “Bruce”, June 14-17. The legendary Bruce Peninsula boasts over 40 taxa of orchids – one of North America’s richest native orchid sites outside of Florida. The conference will consist of two days of presentations at the Tobermory Community Center that alternate with 2 days of scouting orchids in the field. In addition to orchids, numerous species of carnivorous plants, rare ferns and other wildflowers may be encountered.

This gallery highlights some of the species we hope to see during the 2 days of fieldtrips at this year’s conference. Join us!

Registration for this year’s conference will be limited! To learn more, download the conference flyer and visit the conference’s website for registration and learn more about the program as details are finalized. A great guide for anyone visiting the Bruce Peninsula is: The Orchids of Bruce & Grey by the Bruce-Grey Plant Committee (2002). And to learn more about the orchids that grow in Ontario, Canada or your area, visit the Go Orchids website.

Featured – Native Orchid Conference – 2019