home is where the heart is, where your roots are, where the secret places become known. Monotropa uniflora is a beautiful flower with a fascinating story, a gift of wonder from secret woodland places.
Thank you for introducing me to a part of the natural world that I did not know much about; I am still learning. You write so beautifully as are your photos. We often use words like parasite when we do not fully understand the relationship. This is my thought.
Thank you, I'm so glad I could share Ghost Plants with you! I was thinking the same thing - perhaps this plant is only considered a parasite because we haven't yet discovered what benefit it provides to the fungus and/or tree :)
Interesting! I had never heard of these Ghost Plants before. I like how you captured that translucency in their petals/leaves. Also, that sounds like an amazing journey from the upper Northwest and down and across and back up again to the upper Northeast of the United States. That must have been an amazing experience.
Absolutely stunning!!! From the first sentence to the last full stop. With those extraordinary life forms along the way. Primitive creatures, but so beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing them with us, for educating us. Truly beautiful. Thanks so much. 🤗🤗😘💕
Almost pearl-like! Hauntingly beautiful, I guess could be the appropriate wording. I also love ~true~ funghi though, especially if they're white, they grow so fast and easy to find back to keep track!
Yes, hauntingly beautiful, that's a very good description! I'm such a fungus-fan as well :) Most of our forest floor mushrooms are in shades of yellow, orange, and red - white ones are definitely a treat!
My very favorite wildflowers--I just never know where they'll pop up! Haven't seen any this year yet. Yours are so beautiful, Sydney--ours usually get covered in bits of Carolina clay as they find their way out of their underground sleeping place. I think they're so special and magical, especially since they can't be cultivated.🤍
So true, there's something very special about the fact that you must simply discover them where they've found a home :) I wouldn't have thought about them coming through the clay - I think the fact that ours often push up through moss actually cleans them off very nicely, how funny! I
Wow. Absolutely beautifully written and photographed. I suspect the mycorizhae give freely to help create something so magical. Is it possible? lol PS I like the new photo - you look so much like one of my friends, another gentle spirited nature lover.
Thank you for this lovely piece Sydney, I have never seen these plants in Michigan; I wonder if I’ve overlooked them? Maybe they are only in forests of the NE? Stunning photos too! ❤️
Thank you! I’ve lived a lot of places and never seen them until we moved to Maine so I kind of thought they were local. But one of the folks who commented here mentioned seeing them in Illinois so I looked it up - and they grow almost everywhere! How did I miss them for so long 🤷♀️🤣 So, now that you know maybe you’ll spot them too!
hi Sydney, substack notifications is glitching again today so i had to find a circuitous route to find your comment . . . anyway, i love your photos in this article, so pristine! . . . and . . . i am a fellow new englander :)
Thank you! We have several healthy colonies on our property so I can keep an eye out for fresh ones on daily walks :) Nice to meet you, neighbor! Where are you located?
Like the snowdrops from your recent issue, another plant I was unaware of. Sometimes I am in such a dream state while hiking through the woods I don’t take enough time to look for treasures like these.
So cool, glad I could share something new with you! They are kind of a right-place-right-time plant, though, so I wouldn't be too hard on yourself! They can only grow in spots that have that correct fungus/tree root combination, so they can be prolific in an area but not spread everywhere. And then they bloom and fade over just a few days. When they're spent, they look like black sticks poking out of the moss, not very noticeable. But I hope you spot them sometime - they can give a hike an extra-magical feel!
Oh how fun! Bellingham is wonderful in so many ways. I hope Woods Coffee is still there at Boulevard Park - it was one of the best locations I've ever seen for a coffee shop. And everything about the Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest is lovely all year round. Wishing you so much good luck there!
Thank you for introducing me to a part of the natural world that I did not know much about; I am still learning. You write so beautifully as are your photos. We often use words like parasite when we do not fully understand the relationship. This is my thought.
Thank you, I'm so glad I could share Ghost Plants with you! I was thinking the same thing - perhaps this plant is only considered a parasite because we haven't yet discovered what benefit it provides to the fungus and/or tree :)
A marvelous essay, combining hard science, beautiful photographs and graceful writing. Really loved this.
Thank you so much, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Interesting! I had never heard of these Ghost Plants before. I like how you captured that translucency in their petals/leaves. Also, that sounds like an amazing journey from the upper Northwest and down and across and back up again to the upper Northeast of the United States. That must have been an amazing experience.
Thank you! Yes, it was quite a journey 🤣
Absolutely stunning!!! From the first sentence to the last full stop. With those extraordinary life forms along the way. Primitive creatures, but so beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing them with us, for educating us. Truly beautiful. Thanks so much. 🤗🤗😘💕
Thanks Beth! I'm so glad you liked them! They do certainly seem like something out of ancient history, don't they? 💕
These are the about best ghost pipes photos I have ever seen.You've found such a nice, fresh, untattered specimen! I can really see the bells.
Thank you so much! I really try to keep an eye out to catch groups on their first day, they're so fragile!
Lovely things. I remember the first ones I ever saw, I was on a mountain bike trail and I pulled over to look at them all.
They really do invite you over, they're very unexpected that way int he forest :)
Almost pearl-like! Hauntingly beautiful, I guess could be the appropriate wording. I also love ~true~ funghi though, especially if they're white, they grow so fast and easy to find back to keep track!
Yes, hauntingly beautiful, that's a very good description! I'm such a fungus-fan as well :) Most of our forest floor mushrooms are in shades of yellow, orange, and red - white ones are definitely a treat!
Lovely writing and photos. Ghost Pipes are so ethereal and fascinating.
Thank you, they sure are!
My very favorite wildflowers--I just never know where they'll pop up! Haven't seen any this year yet. Yours are so beautiful, Sydney--ours usually get covered in bits of Carolina clay as they find their way out of their underground sleeping place. I think they're so special and magical, especially since they can't be cultivated.🤍
So true, there's something very special about the fact that you must simply discover them where they've found a home :) I wouldn't have thought about them coming through the clay - I think the fact that ours often push up through moss actually cleans them off very nicely, how funny! I
Wow. Absolutely beautifully written and photographed. I suspect the mycorizhae give freely to help create something so magical. Is it possible? lol PS I like the new photo - you look so much like one of my friends, another gentle spirited nature lover.
Thank you! I'm definitely with you on that theory 🤣
And thank you again, how fun to hear! I thought maybe it was time to be a bit less anonymous :)
Thank you for this lovely piece Sydney, I have never seen these plants in Michigan; I wonder if I’ve overlooked them? Maybe they are only in forests of the NE? Stunning photos too! ❤️
Thank you! I’ve lived a lot of places and never seen them until we moved to Maine so I kind of thought they were local. But one of the folks who commented here mentioned seeing them in Illinois so I looked it up - and they grow almost everywhere! How did I miss them for so long 🤷♀️🤣 So, now that you know maybe you’ll spot them too!
My eyes are opened, I’m going to 👀
hi Sydney, substack notifications is glitching again today so i had to find a circuitous route to find your comment . . . anyway, i love your photos in this article, so pristine! . . . and . . . i am a fellow new englander :)
Thank you! We have several healthy colonies on our property so I can keep an eye out for fresh ones on daily walks :) Nice to meet you, neighbor! Where are you located?
i come from athol mass but currently doing a grandfather stint in illinois . . . returning to new england in 2 years
What a wonderful thing to do!
it made for a nice bond with the grands, glad i did it, but homesick of course, new england is where i belong
Like the snowdrops from your recent issue, another plant I was unaware of. Sometimes I am in such a dream state while hiking through the woods I don’t take enough time to look for treasures like these.
So cool, glad I could share something new with you! They are kind of a right-place-right-time plant, though, so I wouldn't be too hard on yourself! They can only grow in spots that have that correct fungus/tree root combination, so they can be prolific in an area but not spread everywhere. And then they bloom and fade over just a few days. When they're spent, they look like black sticks poking out of the moss, not very noticeable. But I hope you spot them sometime - they can give a hike an extra-magical feel!
What? I had no idea! They're so beautiful!
I know, right? They're amazing, so glad you enjoyed them :)
Sydney, How funny - We are on our way to Bellingham to start anew. D
Oh how fun! Bellingham is wonderful in so many ways. I hope Woods Coffee is still there at Boulevard Park - it was one of the best locations I've ever seen for a coffee shop. And everything about the Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest is lovely all year round. Wishing you so much good luck there!
Thanks Sydney. Best of luck to you and your new adventures as well. D