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The 4th annual meeting of the Native Orchid Conference Inc. (NOC) was held just north of the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, July 8 to 13, 2005, in a peaceful pleasant conference center situated along the banks of the Red River. A wine and cheese reception greeted early arrivals on Friday evening. There were some posters and book sales as well as registration on Saturday morning which was followed by a welcome by NOC President, David McAdoo and Vice-President and local host, Lorne Heshka who commented that it was an excellent year for orchids. Recent heavy rain had water courses in full flood; the land was saturated and water pools were evident. Mosquitoes were present and in increasing numbers. I used this link to discover which species bit me so aggressively and painfully (I had collected a specimen with a measured swat that preserved the diagnostic features!). It was Ochlerotatus (Aedes) dorsalis which is characterized by pale colored body scales and a pointed abdomen. Wetlands visited were very wet but the native orchids were in their prime for organized viewing opportunities which is what really counted. We were warned that water would be deep, deeper than rubber boots, which made me content that I would be wearing my old runners. There were mosquitoes accompanists on field trips also and some mused about their possible role as orchid pollinators. (They do pollinate some orchids!) If one was appropriately covered and using repellent, bugs were not a problem, neither was the water. This chap was covered from head to toe in bug-proof clothing and in mosquitoes. You cannot see them in the picture but they are there! The conference featured an unique habitat, Tall Grass Prairie, which receives about 20 inches (50 cm) of rainfall annually. It is characterized by Big Bluestem Grass (Andropogon gerardii), and is the sole home to the western prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera praeclara). Agriculture has reduced this unique prairie habitat of central North America to critical levels. As little as 1% of the original habitat remains. The first day of the conference, Saturday, was dedicated to presentations on the prairie habitat and the endangered Western Prairie Fringed Orchid. Donna Danyluk and Ian Ward employed a 12-minute slide and music show to portray the peaceful passage through seasons of life on the Tall Grass Prairie. We learned about managed burns to reinvigorate the habitat and that the poorly drained soils left by the glacial Lake Agassiz are home to aspen parkland prairie where groves of trees and shrubs are interspersed with areas of wet prairie. Marilyn Latta, Past-President of the Manitoba Naturalist's Society (MNS) provided a detailed account of how the Tall Grass Prairie Reserve came into being. In 1987, MNS received an Outreach Award to identify Tall Grass Prairie remnants, spurred government interest, created an informative brochure, and after three years of intensive work and data collection, proposed that a reserve be created. They identified 4416 acres of tall grass prairie, the largest sites being two of 300 acres. Interestingly, railroad rights-of-way, while only 99 feet wide, had been historically subjected to controlled burns thus conserving the prairie habitat. Today, the Tall Grass Prairie Reserve comprises some 8000 acres. Dr. Charles Sheviak, New York State Museum, Albany, NY, explained how Platanthera praeclara came to be named as a distinct species. He had been looking at 'flat brown things' or dried pressed flowers of Platanthera leucophaea (Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid) herbarium sheets, realizing that there was a lot of variation in flower size and number. When he finally saw two blooming spikes side-by-side, he realized that there were in fact two species albeit close sister species exploiting similar but geographically separated habitats. Not only were the flowers of the western form much larger but the floral column was also very different with pollinia and viscidia (sticky disks attached to pollinia) much further apart in the western form. This meant that there must be different pollinators and that there were two species. The western prairie fringed orchid was published as Platanthera praeclara in 1986 by Sheviak and M. L. Bowles in Rhodora 88(854): 278-288. The specific epithet celebrates this orchid's noble stature. Dr. Richard Westwood (University of Winnipeg) and Christie Borkowski presented an interesting overview of the pollinator relationship with P. praeclara. They are wondering why the Northern population has a lower seed set than the Southern group. Is this due to pollinator limitation, low pollinator density or to pollinator inefficiency? They have used a variety of methods to assess pollinators which have been found to be two night-flying sphinx moths, including the rare Wild Cherry Sphinx, Sphinx drupiferarum The other is the more common Bedstraw Hawkmoth, Hyles gallii These moths have tongues (probosci) long enough to reach nectar in the floral spurs of P. praeclara which are about 45 mm long (range 25-59 mm). Nectar level is at 10.3 mm (range 0-45 mm). Investigators have learned that the nectar sugar concentration does not change over time but that the nectar level does increase at night when pollinators are active. Westwood and Borkowski showed that augmentation with ultraviolet light at night resulted in more flowers visited. This could be a management tool to increase pollination. Future investigation will include an inventory of moth larval host plants, competing nectar sources and the effect of artificial light sources around orchid populations. Dr. Jyotsna Sharma, University of Florida, explained how 75% of the historic populations of P. praeclara have been lost over the past 130 years. Little has been known about the mycobionts, population genetics, or how to effectively propagate the orchid. Her investigations of six populations have shown that the Northern and Southern populations have two different mycobionts, Ceratorhiza and Eupulorhiza, respectively. Small populations are especially at risk: once variation is lost, it is lost forever. Smaller populations are homozygous (more similar) while larger populations are more heterozygous (more mixed). More research is needed to resolve temporal and spatial differences in genetic diversity. Nancy Sather spoke about her work at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources on the recovery of P. praeclara in that state. Tracking of all populations commenced in 2003 with the assistance of 40 citizen volunteers. The orchid populations are most productive in areas influenced by glacial Lake Agassiz but populations fluctuate widely. Based upon a 19-year tracking study, she has learned that all surviving plants have one to as many as 3 dormancy episodes of 1 to 8 years. Flowering plants have a higher survival and more frequently flower. There is a 2-year delay from a year of peak seed production to peak recruitment. Management is through a periodic prescribed burn every four years or by mowing in mid summer. Future studies will focus on the impact of an annual burn, on soil type, and on the possible impact of climate change. Marge From of the Thomas Doorly Zoo, Omaha, Nebraska, spoke about their work with micropropagation and population augmentation as conservation tools. Seeds collected upon capsule dehiscence in September-October germinate poorly (<6%) but some seedlings have been raised to test re-introduction methods. Survival is poor. The Annual General Meeting of NOC was held Saturday evening followed by two presentations on orchids other than P. praeclara. Ronald Coleman, Tuscon, Arizona, provided an interesting account of the impact of fire on the 'sky islands' of the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tuscon. The Aspen Fire of June 16, 2003 consumed some 85,000 acres. Most orchid habitat was burned. The forest was closed during 2004 which precluded observation but in 2005, it appears that Platanthera limosa has survived upstream. Malaxis soulei is emerging in lightly burned areas, but Malaxis abieticola may be reduced to just one location as all the other places were heavily burned. Corallorhiza maculata and C. wisteriana have both re-emerged but C. striata survival is uncertain. The southernmost colony of Listera convallarioides in the USA has had its habitat destroyed because of heavy run-off post-fire. Dichromanthus (Spiranthes) michuacanus grew in close proximity to alligator juniper between 5000 and 7000 feet but the junipers are now all dead so the survival of the orchid is uncertain in this region. Christine Dudding ended an exciting day of lectures with an overview of her plans to study the population genetics of Triphora trianthophora. The Three-Birds orchid typically grows on a southeast 60° slope in deep litter pockets under beech (Fagus). Blooming happens two to three days after the first cool down in August with the first flowers opening between 10 am and 2 pm. This can be a challenging species to find in bloom. Best wishes to Christine for this important study. Sunday may have been hot and muggy but over 80 enthusiastic participants armed with boots, bug spray, bug nets and cameras took to the field to visit the Woodridge Bog and the Tall Grass Prairie reserve, both located about 100 km south of Winnipeg. The group was divided to make things pleasant for everyone and everything including the orchids. button Members of Native Orchid Conservation Inc. led small groups. They also had flagged interesting specimens. The spruce-cedar (Thuja occidentalis) bog hosted 17 species, many of which were in flower. The yellow and ram's-head lady's-slippers, and the small round-leaved orchid had finished blooming but there were still many showy lady's-slippers in full bloom. What was especially interesting were the many small species located just within the forest edge. Goodyera repens We convened at the Ukrainian Museum in Gardenton for a delicious and refreshing lunch of perogies (dumpling stuffed with cheese and potato), cabbage rolls and salad. The visit to the Tall Grass Prairie Reserve was well worthwhile. Along the way, we spotted specimens of P. praeclara and the occasional western red lily (Lilium philadelphicum var. andinum). We did not have to walk far before we found handsome specimens to examine more closely and to photograph. Claude Poirier and Jyostma Sharma in the prairie. It is generally not a good idea to handle wild plants. There was a very strong wind so some gentle support was needed to avoid having a 'motion picture'. Still, the wind blew the mosquitoes somewhere else which was fine by everyone. Care also had to be taken when approaching these precious plants as there were tiny seedlings at the base of some. Interestingly, none of the inflorescences observed showed signs of pollinator activity. Pollinia had neither been removed nor deposited on stigmas. Before we left a specimen, we fluffed up the grass to restore the spot as best we could. Monday, July 11, was a second day of lectures. Lorne Heshka provided an overview of Manitoba's orchid habitat which ranges from prairie in the South to tundra in the North. Of particular interest were the string fen channels of southeastern Manitoba where the Rose Pogonia, Pogonia ophioglossoides, is at the northwestern edge of its range. In the Duck Mountains, we find Cypripedium passerinum in the southern most part if its range, Hooker traversed this region in 1839, finding the first three orchids at the portage of Grand Rapids. In the northern tundra, where there are shallow lakes over frozen tundra, there are 10 species of orchid including Platanthera obtusata. Ian Ward followed Lorne's talk with a photographic review of Manitoba's orchids, from the widespread Small Round-leaf Orchid, Amerorchis rotundifolia, which usually blooms white with spots but is pink near Churchill MB, to Spiranthes magnicamporum found in prairie habitat. Dr. Charles Sheviak recounted his travels to learn more about the real story behind Platanthera hyperborea in North America. His travels have taken him to Labrador, Seward, Alaska, and to Churchill, Manitoba, where the 'green' Platantheras are abundant, self-pollinating and all tetraploid (4N). He pointed out that among the distinguishing features is the shape of the viscidia which in P, huronensis is oblong, in P. dilatata is linear, and in P. aquilonis is round. White P. dilatata and two green forms. Platanthera huronensis is of hybrid origin but is now stabilized. The P. hyperborea described by Linnaeus from Iceland has oblong/linear oblong viscidia which suggests that the outcome of this on-going investigation may be even more intriguing. Roger Turenne of the Manitoba Chapter, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society CPAWS) http://www.cpawsmb.org presented an overview of the process to bring a national park representing the Manitoba Lowlands into being. You can see the video by clicking on 'A National Park Waiting to be Born' on their homepage (highly recommended). Their progress is presently stalled because of local community resistance. Citizen knowledge and support is required for all such initiatives. Doris Ames, President of Orchid Conservation Inc. related progress made by this 150-strong organization. Foremost in the minds of all participants was their impressive 158-page, full color Field Guide to the 'Orchids of Manitoba', which was launched at the conference. Doris also previewed a public education video. Of particular interest was the recently established 820-hectare Brokenhead Ecological Reserve established south of Lake Winnipeg. Twenty-eight of Manitoba's 36 native orchid species grow in this calcareous wetland habitat. Here are Doris Ames and Marilyn Light (all in green) after a profitable visit to the Brokenhead Ecological Reserve. Marilyn Light, North American Region-Orchid Specialist Group showed the range of native bees that visit the yellow lady's-slippers. Some may be too big and some too small but those having the appropriate thorax depth can be effective agents of pollination. She also showed how native bees may see these beautiful orchids. Using an 18A filter, co-investigator Michael MacConaill photographed the flowers: ultraviolet light reflectance and absorbance patterns appear on film. Using a color slide image of the same flower, the images were overlaid and the color shifted 200 nm to the right to accommodate the bee visual spectrum. The resulting image shows a deep pink flower with a darkened staminode tip where UV light is absorbed. Dr. Carla Zelmer, University of Manitoba, presented an interesting overview of symbiosis and orchid mycorrhizal associations. She explained that non-green orchids such as Corallorhiza were holomycoheterotrophs, and completely dependent upon partners for carbon. Symbioses may be conditional and may only function under certain environmental conditions. She emphasized our need to know how to favor symbiosis by managing environments. The conference ended with a useful demonstration of orchid mycorrhizae and how they are isolated. Drs. Carla Zelmer and Jyotsna Sharma showed participants fresh mounts of infected roots, fungal isolates, and pure culture techniques. Dr. Carla Zelmer during a demonstration. On the last day of the conference, participants visited the newly established Brokenhead Ecological Reserve. Again, Doris Ames and fellow members had marked interesting orchids beforehand. They were present to guide people through a woodland trail and out into a sedge meadow where we saw Platanthera dilatata. Within the wooded portion were many handsome specimens of Platanthera orbiculata. P. obtusata extra large specimen Corallorhiza maculata in two color forms C. striata in flower and fruit. The left hand stem is laying on the soil. We left that site at noon to permit those lucky individuals taking a side trip to the Churchill area. Carol Ferguson, Southern Oregon University, and Rob Coleman happily announced plans for the 6th Annual meeting of the NOC which will be held in Ashland, Oregon, June 9-12, 2006. An informative flyer listed some of the field trips planned to see many of the 14 possible species blooming in June. Details are expected in January 2006. Additional Reading Lilium philadelphicum var. andinum (Nutt.) Ker-Gawl. / Western Red Lily, Western Wood Lily (floral emblem for the province of Saskatchewan (syn. Lilium umbellatum Pursh) Saskatchewan's Provincial Floral Emblem and a protected plant! D'nA Gardens has a great web site and offers this plant for sale. Manitoba laws affecting the conservation of orchids. 2003. Species at Risk. Western Prairie Fringed Orchid Leafy Spurge Control and effect on orchids. Stethobaris commixta http://www.rmrs.nau.edu/lab/people/csieg/sieg_pubs/stethobaris.pdf Pleasants, John M.; Moe, Stephen. 1993. Floral Display Size and Pollination of the Western Prairie Fringed Orchid, Platanthera praeclara (Orchidaceae). Lindleyana. 8, 1: 32. Center for Plant Conservation - Platanthera praeclara http://centerforplantconservation.org/ASP/CPC_ViewProfile.asp?CPCNum=9293 As you can read and see, it was worthwhile event. I am looking forward to visiting Oregon next year. Between WOC's and NOC's, we do get around the world! If anyone wishes for their newsletter, etc, I have published an article 'Step Softly-Environmental Stewardship' in the NOC Journal and have permission to re-publish elsewhere. Just let me know. Questions anyone? MarilyninOttawa pecteilis_in_KY MarilyninOttawa
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