June_2007

Grass Pink
Calopogon tuberosus

This graceful orchid inhabits acidic, boggy areas in Middle and East Tennessee but ranges from Florida
to Canada and west to the Great Plains. The flowers are up to 2 inches in diameter and are pale pink to
dark lavender-purple. The lip has an ingenious hinge mechanism that facilitates pollination. Bees are
attracted to the orange-tipped hairs at the top of the lip and land there thinking they will receive a pollen
reward, but as they land their weight trips the hinge and the lip collapses onto the column, depositing
pollen onto the back of the bee. If the bee visits another flower and repeats the process, it then places
pollen on the stigma and pollination occurs. Blooming usually takes place in late May through June.