Cypripedium calceolus

• English: Lady’s slipper
• Swedish: Guckusko
• Finnish: Tikankontti

I discovered orchids last year. I’ve photographed them before, but never thought they were anything more than any other flowers I shot. But after I discovered the lady’s slipper, I became hooked on orchids – I looked for them all summer last year, and will do so this year as well. The lady’s slipper is a rare flower but the Los region is a bit of an orchid hotspot, but still, you need to know where to look. And so it was that I discovered the lady’s slippers thanks to a tip from a friendly bypasser. I was shooting flowers in Furuberget, when a woman walked by and asked if have already been to photograph the lady’s slippers. Say what?! She was kind enough to give me instructions where to find them, and sure enough, there they were. I don’t think I have ever been as much in awe of a flower as I was when I saw them for the first time. Sure I’ve seen pictures… but to see a flower like this, growing wild, was an experience like no other.Last week I went to check what the flowering status is. I saw a few buds and lots of leaves, so I figured that this weekend would be just right. I was not entirely correct. Some of the flowers were already past they sell by date but I also found plenty that were in their prime. The mosquitoes and gnats were out in force but I was safe from them in my rain trousers (had to wear them because the lady’s slippers grow in wet places) and my Bugshirt. The downside: I was sweating buckets in the warm sunshine. But I’ll rather take that than the bites, and I’m talking serious bites here. The mosquito concert around me was deafening and I’m surprised I didn’t get flying insects in more than just a few frames! No pain no gain as they say, and the lady’s slippers are worth every bit of trouble you have to go through just to see them. To photograph them is a privilege.

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Image specs: ISO 200, f5.6, 1/320, Canon 300mm f4L