Discovering the brilliance of pink lady’s slippers

Every woodland walk or hike gives the observer an opportunity to view the seasonal transitions associated with the changing temperature, tree leaf cover and sunlight. My favorite spot for a daily walk is in the 150-acre wooded lot behind my house in Milton. Last year’s midApril walk revealed an amazing discovery! Not only are these Milton woods peppered with groves of native azaleas but also rare and protected Pink Lady’s Slippers. The first discovery revealed a handful of pink lady’s slippers, but as the April sun warmed the air and soil and the day length increased, more and more pink lady’s slippers emerged from their winter dormancy. By the end of April, my walking partner and I counted over 150 flowering plants!

Pink lady’s slippers are one of the most visually appealing of the many Georgia spring wildflowers. They are a native orchid species with one large pink, showy flower per plant. They are rare and protected by the Georgia Wildflower Preservation Act of 1973. Do not develop an urge to transplant one into your garden or pick the flowers, as it is illegal, and transplanting is almost always unsuccessful. What contributes to their rarity is destruction of their habitats, growth requirements and a seven-year reproductive cycle from seed to flowering. Over the last decade the metro Atlanta population has increased by almost a million people, creating a continuing need for new office buildings, homes and shopping areas and thus reducing the forest environment for lady’s slippers and other native plants and animals to thrive.

In February 2022, the Georgia Department of Transportation began a project to add lanes and a new exit/entry ramp onto Georgia 400 north of exit 11, Windward Parkway. During an environmental assessment, the Department found a stand of close to 1000 pink lady’s slippers in the path of new construction. As required by law, it was determined the pink lady’s slippers needed to be saved and relocated. A team from the Department of Natural Resources and members of the Georgia Botanical Society attempted the difficult and meticulous task of digging up each individual plant along with its allimportant surrounding soil.

Pink lady’s slippers have a very poor transplant survival rate since they have a symbiotic relationship with a specific soil fungus. Without this fungus in the soil, they die. Even with the expertise of the Georgia Botanical Society and transporting the pink lady’s slippers to an area where the soil fungus was present, the survival rate was 70% with declining survival rates expected over time.

Scientists are learning more each year about the network of interconnections among soil organisms and the types of plants that thrive in our environment. This spring, take a walk in the woods, closely observe the flora and fauna and you will be amazed at what you will find and learn about the north Georgia woodlands. Remember to leave the environment intact for the next visitor and for future generations.

Happy gardening!

North Fulton Master Gardeners, Inc. is a Georgia nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization whose purpose is to educate its members and the public in the areas of horticulture and ecology in order to promote and foster community enrichment. Master Gardener Volunteers are trained and certified by The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. Learn more at nfmg.net.

About the Author

This week’s “Garden Buzz” guest columnist is Carole MacMullan, a Master Gardener since 2012. Carole describes herself as a born biologist. Since childhood, she loved to explore the out-of-doors and gardening with her mother. When she entered college, she selected biology as her major and made teaching high school biology her career for 35 years. After retirement in 2008, she had three goals: to move from Pittsburgh to Atlanta to be near her daughter and granddaughter, to volunteer, and to become a Master Gardener. Shortly after moving, she became involved with the philanthropic mission of the Assistance League of Atlanta (ALA) and in 2012, completed the Master Gardener program and joined the North Fulton Master Gardeners (NFMG) and the Milton Garden Club. Carole uses her teaching skills to create a variety of presentations on gardening topics for the NFMG Lecture Series and Speakers Bureau.

For more information

•“Plant Lovers Dig in, Save Pink Lady’s Slippers,” Atlanta Journal Constitution, December 10, 2022, page G-1

•Favorite Wildflower Walks in Georgia, Hugh Nourse and Carol Nourse, The University of Georgia Press, 2007, ISBN-13: 978-0-8203-2841-6

•North Fulton Master Gardenershttps://www.nfmg.net/

•To learn more about Spring Wildflowers, visit the NFMG YouTube channel (https://youtu.be/ sw4cdG3OoOA)

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