Eastern Prairie White Fringed Orchid

Monday started my one week vacation. In light of COVID-19, I didn’t feel comfortable traveling anywhere far or overnight. I decided to pick places to go, full circle, within a day. That way I could come home, wouldn’t have to worry about staying somewhere contaminated, and not have contact with public bathrooms or restaurants.

Day 1: Tyler wanted to go look at the Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid in Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area. After he got off of work, we headed that way and stopped in Castalia near Resthaven. There was a field with lots of butterfly milkweed, other plants, and butterflies! I saw a lot of Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies, but couldn’t get a good photo; they’re so fast! I did, however, get some great Monarch and Red Admiral shots.

Monarch on butterfly milkweed

Red Admiral

Tyler among his people

I plan on going back to try and get a fritillary picture.

After some time in the field, we headed to Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area. Towards the end of the road we were on, there was a field full of wildflowers, cattails, and orchids.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife
“Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid: One of the country’s largest remaining populations of the federal and state threatened Eastern prairie fringed orchid occurs here. Flowering in late June to early July, this rare orchid prefers open, lake plain and wet prairie habitat. As with other orchids, this species has very unpredictable growth patterns and often lays dormant without flowering for several years. A few plants will flower every year, but in 1996, favorable conditions resulted in over 5600 flowering plants in this field.”