Visit to The Ridges Sanctuary	Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin
	We have been visiting the The Ridges Sanctuary since 1973. The tip of Door County contains a very southern remnant of a boreal forest. The Ridges Sanctuary is a wetland area that exhibits a series of string bogs (locally called ridges). This environment hosts a great assortment of interesting plant species, including orchids.
	Another view of a swale.
	The Ridges Sanctuary contains a series of narrow nature trails. Many sections of these trails are on wooden boardwalks that cross swales or extend into bogs. The boardwalks protect the plants from getting stepped on, and the boardwalks also help to keep your feet dry.
	Orchid photography is fun :-)
	Donna photographing Corallorhiza striata, a saprophytic orchid growing in the deep wet shade of a coniferous forest. There are great clusters of these plants growing near the trail head.
	Donna has just mounted a closeup lens on her camera in order to get a frame filling shot of Cypripedium arietinum, the Ram's Head Lady's Slipper orchid. This plant grows along the sandy pine ridges of the trail.
	Barely visable, the tiny Ram's Head Lady's Slipper orchid stands up about 3 feet in front of the lens. There is a closeup of this flower in the plant table that follows. This single photograph took about 15 minutes to setup. Notice that two of the legs of the tripod are on the trail, while the third tripod leg is resting on small stick. Also notice that Donna's knees are on the trail and her outstretched body is braced on the tripod, rather than contacting the ground. Extreme contortions are necessary in order to leave this fragile, and vanishing, habitat undisturbed.
	This sphagnum covered log has created a special microclimate for several interesting plants. Notice to the center of the photograph Drosera rotundifolia, Roundleaf Sundew, and to the upper left Sarracenia purpurea, Purple Pitcherplant. The sundew is growing on top of the sphagnum mound, not in the water. Here it grows in great abundance, there are maybe 100 plants on this log. Only inches away is the waterline, a totally unsuitable habitat for sundew. At the waterline grows a pitcherplant. Different niche, different plant. The entire niche for some of these plants can literally be measured in the inches.

Plant Photograph	Genus species 'Cultivar' - OR - Genus Hybrid 'Cultivar' Description and grower
Future image	Arethusa bulbosa Common Name: = Dragon's Mouth (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to Northeast US. Habitat: Sunny sphagnum bogs. Phenology: 6/23 Baileys Harbor.
Future image	Calopogon tuberosus Common Name: = Tuberous Grasspink (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to Eastern US. Habitat: Sunny sphagnum bogs to edge of hummocks. Phenology: 7/12 Ridges.
Future image	Corallorhiza maculata Common Name: = Summer Coralroot (USDA). Spotted Coralroot (WI). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to entire US (except southeast). Lip with distinct lobes, sepal 3 nerved. Plant taller than 6 inches. Saprophytic. Habitat: Mature conifer woods, dry. Phenology: 7/4 - 8/19 Toft Point, Baileys Harbor, Ellison Bay.
	Corallorhiza striata (additional images) Common Name: = Hooded Coralroot (USDA). Striped Coralroot (WI). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to Western US. Lip unlobed, downwardly curved, striped. Saprophytic. Habitat: Mature conifer woods, dry. Phenology: 6/19 - 6/24 Baileys Harbor, Jacksonport.
	Corallorhiza trifida Common Name: = Yellow Coralroot (USDA). Early Coralroot (WI). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to Northern US. Lip with distinct lobes, sepal 1 nerved. Plant shorter than 6 inches. Saprophytic. Habitat: Mature conifer woods, wet to boggy. Phenology: 5/29 - 6/17 Toft Point, Ridges, Cave Point.
	Cypripedium acaule Common Name: = Moccasin Flower (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to Eastern US. Habitat: Brushy sand ridges, acid soil, moist to dry, also commonly near bogs. Phenology: 6/12 - 6/26 Ridges, Baileys Harbor.
	Cypripedium arietinum Common Name: = Ram's Head Lady's Slipper (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to extreme Northeast US. Habitat: Sandy pine or cedar forests, also commonly near cedar and tamarack swamp. Phenology: 6/3 - 6/24 Baileys Harbor.
Future image	Cypripedium parviflorum Common Name: = Lesser Yellow Lady's Slipper (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to entire US (except west coast). Habitat: Conifer hillsides to bogs. Phenology: 6/13 - 7/4 Baileys Harbor, Toft Point. Two Wisconsin varieties are recognized, pubescens (Greater Yellow Lady's Slipper) and makasin (Lesser Yellow Lady's Slipper). Variety pubescens pouch is greater then 1.1 inches long, habitat moist to dry (upland). Variety makasin pouch less then 1.1 inches long, habitat moist to wet (conifer swamps).
	Cypripedium reginae Common Name: = Showy Lady's Slipper (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to Northeast US. Habitat: Wet soil, cedar and tamarack swamp, not sphagnum bog. Phenology: 6/24 - 7/4 Baileys Harbor.
Future image	Epipactis helleborine Common Name: = Broadleaf Helleborine (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Exotic to Wisconsin. Exotic to entire US. Native to Europe. Habitat: Most woodland soils. Phenology: 6/22 - 8/14 Baileys Harbor, Ephraim, Ellison Bay.
Future image	Goodyera repens Common Name: = Lesser Rattlesnake Plantain (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to Northeast and Mountain US (not central states, not west coast). Habitat: Conifer woods, north facing slopes, to bog borders. Phenology: 7/29 - 8/20 Toft Point, Baileys Harbor.
Future image	Goodyera tesselata Common Name: = Checkered Rattlesnake Plantain (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to Northeast US. Habitat: Dry conifer woods to conifer swamp. Phenology: 8/6 Jacksonport.
	Listera cordata (additional images) Common Name: = Heartleaf Twayblade (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to Northeast and Western US (not central states). Habitat: Cold mossy woods, mossy bogs. Tiny plants, easy to miss. Phenology: 6/6 - 7/5 Ridges, Toft Point.
Future image	Malaxis monophyllos Malaxis brachypoda) Common Name: = White Adder's Mouth Orchid (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to Northeast US, Colorado, California. Habitat: Cold wet soils, wet deer trails, cedar swamps. Plants scattered. Phenology: 7/3 - 8/2 Toft Point, Baileys Harbor, Ridges.
Future image	Platanthera dilatata Common Name: = Scentbottle (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to Northeast and Western US (not central states). Habitat: Wet open bogs, wet sand. Often grows besides pitcher plants and sundews. Phenology: 6/24 - 7/8 Baileys Harbor, Toft Point.
	Platanthera huronensis (Synonym: Platanthera hyperborea) (Synonym: Habenaria hyperborea) (additional image) Common Name: = Huron Green Orchid (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to Northeast US. Habitat: Tall shrub swamp, wet evergreen forest, wet bog, along creek. Phenology: 6/23 - 7/19 Toft Point.
Future image	Platanthera lacera Common Name: = Green Fringed Orchid (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to Northeast and Western US (not central states). Habitat: Wet acid soils, sphagnum hummocks of bogs. Often grows besides pitcher plants. Phenology: 7/26 Ridges.
Future image	Platanthera obtusata Common Name: = Bluntleaved Orchid (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to Northeast and Northwest US (not southern states). Habitat: Cold soil, conifer bogs. Phenology: 7/2 - 7/5 Ridges, Toft Point.
Future image	Platanthera orbculata Common Name: = Lesser Roundleaved Orchid (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to Northern US. Habitat: Moist to dry soil, conifer forests, seldom bogs. Phenology: 7/29 - 9/9 Baileys Harbor.
Future image	Platanthera psycodes Common Name: = Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to Northeast US. Habitat: Wet forests to margins of swamps, never in mossy or open bogs. Phenology: 7/19 - 8/16 Mud Lake, Baileys Harbor, Hein's creek, Ridges.
Future image	Spiranthes cernua Common Name: = Nodding Lady's Tresses (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to Eastern US. Lip large, greater than 6 mm long. Lip not constricted at mid point (ie. not hour glass shaped). Habitat: Damp soil, ditches. Phenology: 8/8 - 9/16 Ridges, Baileys Harbor.
Future image	Spiranthes lacera Common Name: = Northern Slender Lady's Tresses (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to Northeast US. Lip small, less than 6 mm long. Habitat: Damp to dry soil, roadsides. Phenology: 8/8 - 8/19 Ridges, Baileys Harbor.
Future image	Spiranthes romanzoffiana Common Name: = Hooded Lady's Tresses (USDA). Family: = Orchidaceae (Orchid). Desc: Native to Wisconsin. Native to North and West US. Lip large, greater than 6 mm long. Lip constricted at mid point (ie. hour glass shaped). Habitat: Damp meadows, lakeshores, usually not highly acidic soils. Phenology: 8/16 - 9/18 Ridges, Baileys Harbor.

Visit to Toft's Point	Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin
	Toft's Point.