Lady's-slipper Orchid
Latin: Cypripedium calceolus (Linné 1753)
Svenska: Guckusko
Deutsch: Gelber Frauenschuh
Floral trap
The Lady's-slipper orchid attracts insects into its yellow flower shaped like a wooden shoe. Once inside, the insect feels enclosed and tries to get out. It moves towards the back of the flower, where a transparent 'window' lets the light through. When the insect manages to free itself, the orchid's pollen has already hitched a ride on the insect's body.
In order to escape from the flower, the insect has to push through the stamens and pistil, covering itself with pollen. It must be lured into a different Lady's-slipper orchid to complete the pollination.
Like other orchids, this flower is a hemiparasite. It draws nutrients from fungi which have been taken from other plants.
Lady's-slipper orchids are not uncommon in eastern Uppland. It grows in lime-rich wetland forests near the coast. To find some, you can head to the forests near lake Vällen - Mässmyrfallet for example.
In the winter, the orchid's leaves wither and die back. They sprout again in the spring, and the orchid blooms from around Midsummer until early July.
Photo: Emil Nilsson
Wikipedia article on the lady's-slipper orchid