Galearis spectabilis, Showy Orchis, Howard County, MD, HeLoMetz

Galearis spectabilis, the Showy Orchis. As wild orchids go in the East, this one is relatively common. I come across it the most in deciduous Appalachian Mountain woods, but I have seen it in plenty other places where the woods have not been turned under for crops in the past. Note the small spur at the bottom of the flower, unlike other cheating Orchids this one actually gives potential pollinators a little drink of nectar. Collected and photographed by Helen Lowe Metzman in Howard County, Maryland Photography Information: Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200 USGSBIML Photoshopping Technique: Note that we now have added using the burn tool at 50% opacity set to shadows to clean up the halos that bleed into the black background from "hot" color sections of the picture.