Platanthera psycodes (Small purple fringed orchid)

During the last week of June each year, I try to get up to Mt. Mitchell State Park, on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. The quest is to photograph the hundreds (perhaps thousands) of small purple fringed orchid plants that line the access road to Mt. Mitchell. Well, this year was no exception, accept that we might have been a few days late, since many of the flowers were a bit past peak. However, we found many that were in perfect condition.

Other wildflowers are always present along the roadside, and add a lot of color to the verdant green foliage in the ditches.