north american native orchid journal - at The Culture Sheet

Brown & Folsom: WILD ORCHIDS OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE AND MAINE
WILD ORCHIDS OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS
OF NEW HAMPSHIRE AND MAINE
Paul Martin Brown & Stan Folsom
The White Mountains of New Hampshire and adjacent Maine cover much of the central portion of the
former and only just reach into Maine in Oxford County. Extending in the west from the Connecticut River
Valley east through the Presidentials and the New Hampshire/Maine border and south to the Lake Chocorua
and Rumney areas these hills and mountains are laden with a diverse flora and some of the rarest plants to be
found in North America. Just north of Route 2 lies the Pilot Range and the Kilkenny Mountains. Although not
contiguous with the main portion of the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) this section is well worth
exploring for an abundance of orchids as well as the only area that has Spiranthes casei. The study area covered all
of the White Mountain National Forest and adjacent local, state, and federal conservation lands.
The orchids found in this region are typical of much of New England but represent the northern limits
of several more southern species such as Isotria medeoloides, Goodyera pubescens, Corallorhiza odontorhiza, and
Triphora trianthophoros. As often happens at the limit of the range large populations may be found of species
such as the Triphora and Corallorhiza.
Although much of the territory is backwoods and has limited accessibility, many of the orchids are
easily seen along roadsides and trails. A spring drive on the Kancamagus Highway will have the road shoulders
littered with pink lady‖s-slippers in all shades of pink and many white ones as well. Bear Notch Road is equally
as rewarding and may present several other species over the summer months. Route 302 through Crawford
Notch often has excellent colonies of large purple fringed orchids in late July and for the more adventuresome
the Bog Dam Loop Rd. in the Kilkenny‖s never fails to please. Hiking trails that can be rewarding orchidwise are
those in Evan‖s Notch, the Wild River area, and the various Ammonoosuc trails. Even the more popular and
often heavily used trails near the various campgrounds and picnic areas still harbor many orchids
Over 50 years of exploring this region culminated in a concentrated effort in 2009 to document all of the
known orchid species from the WMNF and not surprisingly resulted in four species not before recorded from
the WMNF – Arethusa bulbosa, Pogonia ophioglossoides, Liparis loeselii, and Spiranthes casei.
As rugged as much of terrain is, the trailsides and wetlands are exceedingly fragile. PLEASE use
extreme caution when observing and photographing the wild orchids. Most of the species found in this
area are state listed as endangered or threatened and one species, Isotria medeoloides, is listed as federally
threatened. Collection of any plant material, for any reason, within the White Mountain National Forest
is strictly prohibited and outside of the forest requires landowner and/or state permission.
More details on all of these species and their myriad of color and growth forms may be found in our
recent publication Wild Orchids of the Northeast (University Press of Florida, 2007). Only the color and growth
forms that have been found within the region are listed in this work.
Paul Martin Brown & Stan Folsom
203