Fringed Bog Orchid

A few years ago, back before all these heart issues started taking a toll on my body and becoming guardians of a then-eight-year-old eliminated all of my free time (along with most of the rest of my time), I got notices from the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society about a series of guided adventures titled "Plants and Their Places." The leader was the spectacular botanist Doug McGrady who, it seemed, knew every place in southeastern New England that could yield remarkable plants. One walk highlighted the Greater Purple Fringed Bog Orchid, and while it turned out that I had other commitments that day, I never forgot Doug's pictures of Platanthera grandiflora. So, when I got a note from the Master himself that the orchid was likely in bloom in a favored spot at the relatively nearby TriTown Forest Preserve, I prepared for a come-hell-or-high-water expedition. No matter that it took several years to finally spot a member of the P. grandiflora clan. I'm a patient man. The wait was worth it, and when I  got the flowers in my viewfinder this morning, I felt like I was looking at a guardian floral angel.