There are three woodland species of orchids here in Indiana that can neither hide, nor run, during the winter months. The green over-wintering leaves are easy to spot among the decaying leaf litter on the forest floor. Find those leaves now before the green-up, mark their location with a GPS and return later when they are in bloom, and likely to be hidden by closely growing associates.
(1) Aplectrum hyemale
Common name: puttyroot, Adam-and-Eve orchid
(2) Tipularia discolor
Common name: crane-fly orchid
(3) Goodyera pubescens
Common name: downy rattlesnake plantain
Aplectrum hyemale sends up a single leaf in late September which is usually shed when the flower stalk is present in May. It is common to find an abundance of leaves at a winter location only to find a few flowering stalks when you return in the spring.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbo6V_NtGhFV2TRtXGfdIoJnGWU__xdnd8DXZhkslNJidhssRFNV9ftOO4Iox04809ViPgRsMUXC_8LnxJSndaHm1u0BpzSGR1QxFnkjS9Vn4pI4Q4Mjqiy3QKLsfnrzHnusJxdwshn0U/s320/Puttyroot_1Blog.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAS6sZfw_hm9eJ5aRcYfgTBXcGQK6CZuPTWm4Qqdu5s6KRKAvTBAW3P-Qtl3VRG3R_LItnyC7AYtt5Nn92YgNaaoWZ0RFtzE_nFH_R2-lr_6wqHf3Bx6aWsg3f69eZqxdBcZ9BHue_pG8/s320/Puttyroot_2.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUqnj0DwahSIlJYk_2XuzpY4BFLwvv3ZWPu8Zd3-rSYUj6ha66u1xoPRVL8tFx49Zqaw7Oa-t4vzLHhIu2487HLpww4LsCTwonZZxg-liIZxdo8d4Ik0hhiNbdGR3x0fIjV2S18V4pzrg/s320/Aplectrum_1.jpg)
This is the rarer greenish form of Aplectrum hyemale forma pallidum which grows at a site in LaPorte County.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6OcVR8GAHK0yO6fnlLbCc3HYCUhntXx9fVcQ8mDsxFX8K8_19NsQdeZJt4TYhEwan3YDPMPqIXOCZB37u1THVdIrkMSiEQQ-Jx1GRSh7EaSUz-7y8oM2z1-dRxT5OE4XxAIsHN7OyRw/s320/Aplectrum_2.jpg)
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Tipularia discolor, like the puttyroot, Aplectrum hyemale, produces a single leaf in September which is absent during flowering. I recently counted 22 leaves of this species at a LaPorte County site in April, but found only one flowering stalk when I returned in August.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJiE_gyxAclH9g5FbGkFBdoPv8KZ8AZzrCMSOUccdDgEcFm6lKXQDUI7qD9sXzozbj_kyXDX86_AJYxvOy_81wPPmoEE7tcVevFAgUZnC4HXTc70cjKn1ej5ognBog9XxU2AzVPpe7RcY/s320/TIDI_1.jpg)
Note the purple underside of the leaf of Tipularia discolor.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCRgBhpNz0u9VBL78htYjiagR47OwY4b4Eidi8liuDw6f4A5_bMJffHXJcrjtIIy6iePd7Bw0-TsY5xysIVTWsnLwRDF9zVvsMuDZl_OmeioxYJAvSuRcmquyF0oF22urOm_L-79sTKbE/s320/TIDI_2.jpg)
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Unlike the preceding two species, the strikingly patterned foliage of Goodyera pubescens can be found throughout the year, and is present during flowering in July and August.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2MwCemGE6VtYLKFHVmXWK2wZ7jflFXPwcOrVXuepf99j_1qfF2NqBGPirtF2I-n49Iyb11gyJXqfs4VSdEjgTqxFm67TG_s0gXaHLrX4zcNWAYs9yPLRaGcs0ypOragRHsP9iP6bpQQ/s320/GOPU_1.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_6Miq-MOUjTdJMOwMH3l4Qnq61l_MI7BX2D4OXzNNzOWvYzrQiCqBpXvJpbZwHFdTOzPRUqDOSokApcFUJgs4oikIi-K7jlTyFam4ysEWtU8noZyOecwURn2JzO_8yFuAgm7-OsndY-M/s320/GOPU_2.jpg)
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