There is a place that I know, not far from our town that I go to at least a few times a year. It is a micro or niche environment and it is only a few meters or so wide. Tiny streams run through and near it, and to go in there is to get a little wet. I was there two days ago and managed to forget my knee-pads, so I got wet.
In that tiny micro-environment some rare orchids grow. Michigan has a number of orchids, all of which are protected, and this particular one is the Showy Orchid, and show it does. It is one those plants where the stem of the plant and the buds are as interesting as the flower itself.
I go there early in the morning, when there can be fog and the dew is all around. The great Muskegon River is a dozen or so yards away, but you might never know it, because these orchids are tucked away in this tiny glen. And it is here that these rare orchids grow and bloom once a year, a lesson in sheer beauty.
Nikon D810, El Nikkor 105mm APO, Cambo Actus, Zerene Stacker
