We had a wonderful group turn out for the orchid walk on July 28.  About three dozen people, from Dallas-Ft Worth area to Louisiana to Houston, braved the southeast Texas heat and humidity to search for the rare Chapman’s orchid, Platanthera chapmanii. We were not disappointed.

Our thanks and our sympathy go to Joe Liggio, who led the walk that day.  A few days earlier, Joe’s mother passed away.  We certainly would have understood if he had canceled.  However, he wanted to conduct this walk, and he came and shared his extensive knowledge with us.  Joe, is, by the way, one of the directors of Watson Preserve.

I also want to thank Jim Willis (also one of the directors of Watson Preserve) for his important contribution.  He’s the one who cleared the paths so that we wouldn’t be tripping over branches and getting tangled up in vines.  Folks, running a weed eater the length of that boardwalk is a mean job in 95-degree heat.  He made moving around the preserve easier and safer for us.

Thanks also to Mary & Bill Keller for scrubbing the picnic table and chairs so that people would have a place to sit and rest that wasn't covered with crud.

Last year at the same time I came out to see how the orchids were faring and found only 3 blooming that day.  The bog was crunchy underfoot, and of course the drought only deepened in the weeks that followed.  I was worried about them!  I needn’t have worried, however--the colony is thriving.

Joe Liggio reminisced about some of the places where he has seen a few of these orchids in past years.  In most cases, land use practices have eliminated their habitat and consequently eliminated the orchids as well.  The orchids were never numerous in any of the other locations he has visited.  There are probably a very few colonies hanging on anywhere, including in Texas in Georgia and Florida.  Probably none is as extensive as the population at Watson Preseve.  This could be the best remaining collection of Chapman’s orchid in the entire world!  He emphasized that this population is an important resource for use in restoring orchids where they may have been lost, and in conducting research.  Therefore, their oversight remains a priority for us.

I created a file and included a few photos of the day’s activities, and will add a few photos as time permits.