July 26, 2007 - Photography and flowersThe Suffolk Times • July 26, 2007. 11 A
Photography and flowers
When we think of orchids we usually think of those
spectacular blossoms that are now being sold almost
as common houseplants to the public, or perhaps we
think about that striking orchid that sits on the recep-
tionist's desk in the office of some prestigious lawyer
or doctor. Orchid culture has made great leaps in
producing a beautiful plant that can be bought at a
reasonable price. And should the price get too high
or there be complaints that the blossoms don't last
long enough, there is always the skilled artisan who
can produce a facsimile so close to the live orchid
that you have to touch it to find
FOCUS out if it's real or an imitation.
What brings me to the sub-
ON ject of orchids is that now is the
time that a small, insignificant
NATURE orchid called helleborine is
showing itself throughout our
by Paul property There must be ten
Stoutenburgh to 15 plants scattered around
our place. It came to us from
Europe years ago and has now
taken up residence in many places throughout our
countryside. It's ironic that Roy Latham was the
first to report this insignificant orchid on Long Is-
land. And where did he find it? In those magnificent
woods west of Greenport called Moores Woods,
As Eric Lamont of Riverhead, president of the
Long Island Botanical Society, stated, "It may be in-
teresting to note that Roy Latham documented the
first Long Island population of the weed orchid from
Moores Woods, Greenport, (1962) where a vigor-
ous population still persists. Latham claimed to have
taken many botanists to Moores Woods ... and pos-
sibly Epipactis seeds were inadvertently introduced
to Long Island by an unsuspecting orchid enthusiast
from upstate New York (the first North American
report of Epipactis was from Syracuse, New York, in
1879)." Interesting.
It is our only non - native orchid; all others are na-
tive. How it got here no one knows. It grows so pro-
lifically some call it the weed orchid, yet when you
examine it closely through a magnifier, one would
be hard pressed to think of it as a weed. The full
name for this naturalized orchid is broad - leaved
helleborine.
Barbara couldn't help trying to get a photo of this
insignificant but intriguing little half -inch, greenish
orchid. When she had her camera and subject all set
up I looked into it and was amazed at what I saw in
the depths of this single blossom of the helleborine.
Barbara has one of those digital cameras that do just
about anything you ask it to do. She works hard at
getting a good picture, and finds she's always learning
something new. Now it's not just point and shoot, it's
things like composition, reflected light, background
consideration, effects of movement and a whole list
of other factors that go into her photographs.
I once knew someone who took all those fac-
tors into consideration using not a digital" camera
but a 4 x 5 bulky camera. I spoke of him some time
ago when I spoke of those who had influenced me
throughout my life. His name was Vinton Richards,
and he was one of the great flower photographers,
whose work is seen in the two volumes of "Wild
Flowers of the United States" by Harold Rickett
(Northeastern States).
He lived in Orient, and I often traveled with him
on his photographic outings to capture on film a
particular orchid or some
new flower at Montauk. Orchid culture
He used his old bulky 4 x has made great
5 camera on a tripod and
often would take over a leaps in produe-
half hour to get set up, ing a beautiful
making sure the composi- plant that can be
lion was just right before
he tripped the shutter. He bought at a rea-
taught me patience and the sonable price.
importance of composi-
tion, whether the flower was in your backyard or in
some swamp that held a rare flower.
There were others in the wildflower world I spoke
of as well who influenced me. I had the privilege of
traveling with Sam Gottscho, who for years wrote
the flower section for the old Herald Tribune. He
spent summers in Southold and, with his daughter,
spent days in the field photographing. When I met
him he was quite old and unable to explore and find
his cardinal flower or lady slipper, and others, so he
would ask me to take him to the spot, where he'd
photograph as long as his legs would hold him. I've
often said if there were more Roy Lathams, Vinton
Richardses and Sam Gottschos in this world it would
be a better place for all.
Walking home through the woods from our kids'
house recently, Barbara spotted our first Indian pipes
If you're not acquainted with this all -white flower,
and I mean all white, you'll want to get to know it. The
stem is all white, the leaves, what there are, are white,
and the flowers are white. The reason for this is that
they lack chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants
As the name implies, they look like pipes After
insects fertilize them, the pipes turn upward and the
white plant slowly becomes tough and turns black,
remaining upright through the winter. This interest-
ing plant is called a saprophyte, a plant without green
color. Because of this it is also known as corpse plant,
ice plant or ghost flower. It draws its nutrients front a
unique relationship with a fungus underground. Ap-
parently there is a mutual association between the
Indian pipes and the fungus, which botanists call a
symbiotic relationship. Keep your eyes open for some
of these interesting plants where you live.
Left: Indian pipes, unlike other plants, have no green pigment. Here you see a clump of them with their characteristic white "plpes " The ones In the background
have turned upward, telling us their life cycle Is complete. Right: Here we can see a flower of the Indian pipe In Its early stage of growth. The plant gets Its nu-
trlents from a unique symbiotic relationship underground between the Indian pipes and a fungus. Top: Of all the orchids that grow throughout our land only one
has come from outside our borders. It's the Insignificant orchid shown here. Most would pass It by, thinking It just a weed. Middle: The flower of the broad - leaved
helleborine Is but a half Inch across and Is often overlooked. It's a prolific grower and, because It can be a pest, has earned the name of weed orchid.