A New Pair of Lady Slippers

The Pink Lady Slipper is a rare orchid that grows only under ideal environmental conditions like found in the rolling hills of the Appalachian mountains.



The delicate flower prefers a cool, damp environment and soil with lots of decomposing organic matter.



It takes root among wild ferns and it's best to search for them near mountain streams.



When stumbling upon a patch of Pink Lady Slippers, it’s like walking into a mystical wonderland.



Ladyslippers grow like weeds on Jack’s Mountain, my childhood home.



My grandmother and I searched for them in May and carried them around in bouquets like tulips.



They stand on a stem almost 8" long. Two large light-green leaves support the base of the stem, and at the top is a tissue like floral bulb shaped like an Indian Moccasin.



Grandma attempted to dig up the roots and plant some in her garden, but they seemed only to want to grow in a certain patch of woodland along the south side of Jack’s Mountain.



One day, while walking hand in hand with my grandmother, I spotted two yellow Lady Slippers growing alongside all the pink ones.



We sensed magic after spotting those two slippers.



We refused to pick them, but held them in the palms of our hands.



It was like touching the wings of an angel.



“I have eight children, Charlie, but none of them are like you,” she said to me as we walked out of the woodland back to civilization.



Mothers always know when their sons are destined to wear lady slippers.