I was out in my woods last week cleaning up some brush and pruning root suckers off tree stumps that are the remains of trees cut down to clear the area for a bit more space and light. I want to better maintain the balance of woodland and encourage some trees to mature without competing with saplings that tend to crowd the space and root suckers popping up off stumps and root systems. I feel like I'm getting to know my woods better and I enjoy deepening my relationship with where I call home. Look what surprised me as I was working!
Here is a blip that tells a little about this plant via Wikipedia:
Lady's slipper orchids, lady slipper orchids or slipper orchids are the orchids in the subfamily Cypripedioidea, which includes the genera Cypripedium, Mexipedium, Paphiopedilum, Phragmipedium and Selenipedium. They are characterised by the slipper-shaped pouches (modified labellums) of the flowers – the pouch traps insects so they are forced to climb up past the staminode, behind which they collect or deposit pollinia, thus fertilising the flower.