Rare plants occur in rare places.  To know one is to know the other; each points the seeker towards the other. British writer Peter Marren writes, “rarity lends a plant distinction.  …The plant is not only precious, but part of the meaning of place, its genius loci.”  I photograph plants because I photograph place.  The essence of the natural landscape cannot be captured, for me, without attention to the plants. 

This rare plant–a Bearded Grass Pink Orchid–occurs within a cataract bog along the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment.  A cataract bog occurs where a permanent stream flows slowly and gently along a steep slope.  A thin layer of soil gathers towards the edges of this rare occurence, and with it comes an assortment of rare plants.  2024 was my first opportunity to meet and photograph the Bearded Pink Grass Orchid. 

Camera:  Canon EOS 5Dr
Lens:  Canon MP-E 65mm
Tripod:  Handheld w/ flash

Date taken:  May 13, 2024
Settings:  f14, 1/250 second, iso 100