Is the Lady Slipper Flower Endangered? | Lady Slipper Facts
Is it illegal to pick a lady slipper flower? Because the plant takes many years to grow, special rules are in place to ensure its survival. Learn more!
By Shelley Wigglesworth|May 27 2022|
Coffee By Design | Portland, Maine
Photo Credit : Katherine KeenanThe lady slipper flower — also known as the moccasin flower — is North America’s own much admired and often misunderstood wild native orchid. Here you’ll learn more about the folklore, growth process, and growing conditions of this beautiful and alluring New England wildflower.
Lady Slipper Facts
What is a Lady Slipper Flower?
Though they are named for their resemblance to a delicate pair of feminine slippers in hues of pink, white, or variegated colors, the lady slipper flower is a hardy perennial that is able to withstand the brutal New England winters. They emerge and flower in New England forests between the months of May and July.
History of the Lady Slipper Flower
Native American folklore tells the story of a young maiden who ran barefoot in the snow in search of medicine to save her tribe, but was found collapsed on the way back from her mission with swollen, frozen feet. As a result, beautiful lady slipper flowers then grew where her feet had been as a reminder of her bravery. In addition to inspiring folklore, lady slipper roots were also widely used by Native Americans as medicinal herbs.
Lady Slipper Growth & Survival
A stubborn plant, the lady slipper can take many years to grow and develop from seed to mature plants. They rely on a process called symbiosis to survive, which is typical of most orchid species. Symbiosis is when an organism, in this case a fungus found in the soil, is needed for a plant to grow and thrive. The fungus breaks open the lady slipper seed and attaches to it, passing on the food and nutrients needed for it to flourish. Once the lady slipper plant is mature and producing its own nutrients, the fungus will extract nutrients from the orchid roots.
Photo Credit : Debbi Griffin/User Submitted
Is the Lady Slipper Endangered?
Once established, lady slipper plants will propagate on their own and live for many years if left undisturbed. Because a picked lady slipper will not rejuvenate itself, and the plant has a less than 5% transplant success rate, they are often considered “off-limits” to pickers and diggers. Some species of lady slipper are listed as endangered or threatened in New England. Others, like the common Pink Lady’s Slipper, are listed as “special concern” under the Native Plant Protection Act. Although regulations on picking or transplanting lady slipper plants vary from state to state, either practice is generally discouraged and it is illegal to pick or dig up lady slipper plants on Federal properties.
Have you ever seen a lady slipper plant in the forest? Did you ever wonder “Are lady slippers endangered?” or “Is it illegal to pick a lady slipper?” Let us know!
This post was first published in 2016 and has been updated.
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Loved walking through the woods of Pelham, Nashua, and Salem growing up and the woods were alive with pink lady slippers. I always fantasized that they belonged to fairies.
In the late 40’s when we lived in Rochester NH , we would come across a rare one in the woods across from our home. We never ever picked them or the occasional Jack in the Pulpit .
Child in the 50s/60s in Somersworth NH. About 6 would grow in an old growth white pine forest off of Stackpole Rd.
I live in Wolcott Ct and on our walking trail I’ve found 2 Lady Slippers growing this spring and was quite surprised to see them..
As a kid we would go to a swamp in our neighborhood. there used to be many lady slippers growing on all the islands in between the water. But as we grow up they just disappeared don’t kno what happen have not seen one in years a only in picks
When I was a child, they used to grow in the woods across from Edward’s Beach in Westford, MA. We were always told it was illegal to pick them.
I live in Douglas Ma and three years ago a lady slipper just appeared in front of our shed. I never planted it and have never seen one in the woods around our house. We have lived there for 25 years. I just love seeing it come back every spring. I don’t touch it, feed it or water it, because I am afraid it will die. I have no idea how it go there. Any suggestions to keep it around forever?
I grew up in NH and was told not to pick them. It was illegal.
I have yellow lady slippers growing by my stream in Granby, MA.
Was looking for a response close to Belchertown, MA. This is where my mother fondly remembers seeing lady slippers as a child. They were in the woods at the summer camp built by her grandfather, father, and uncles. When she hears of them, like through this article, she has a wonderful flashback!
when I was a child growing up in Wilton,Connecticut, I was told that it was illegal to pick Lady Slippers and I envisioned the Lady Slipper police hiding behind trees in our woods waiting to catch me picking one! Kind of a scary vision for a little kid but sure did keep me from touching those lovely slippers! 🙂
Growing up in Maine I have no memory of seeing these beauties but in later years I found them in Connecticut and in New Hampshire.
Grew up in Needham, MA but summered in Woodstock, VT at the family farm which had been passed down on my mom’s side. I walked many of the 120 acres and saw beautiful Lady Slippers… never to be picked or dug up. Wonderful memories!
Maine Botanical Garden! They are everywhere! Beautiful!
I, too, was always told that picking Lady Slippers was illegal. There used to be some Lady Slippers growing in nearby woods but I have not seen them the last few years. And I did not pick them!!!!
As a child, we lived in Brooklin, Maine, where I played in the woods and fields along the beautiful coastline. I remembering the joy at finding lady slippers blooming in the woods, year after year. I obediently let them be–even though I really wanted to pick a bouquet to bring home! I recall hearing the legend of this lovely plant.
My Grandfather lived on 65 wooded acres right in the heart of Unionville CT. when I was a child – many years ago . Spring was a rather magical time back then, Lupine bloomed by the hundreds, like blue clouds and the pink Lady Slippers appeared. Many, many of them and yes, we were indeed told NOT TO PICK. The property was sold and a development was built… Farmington Woods. Haven’t been back to check but fear the Lupine and Lady Slippers are long gone, a pity for the little girls and boys that reside there today.
I grew up in [West] Concord, MA – and in a wooded area in back of our house, there were pink lady slippers that grew in the low-lying, wet/spongy areas. My parents and grandparents repeatedly told us to NEVER pick these flowers, or dig them up for transplanting. A neighbor tried to transplant them on a number of different occasions, but the plants never successfully took/re-blossomed. Just last year, in a gardening catalog (I can’t recall the publication name) I received in the mail, lady slipper plants (singly, in either pink or white) were offered for a hefty price – in excess of $75/plant!) I never took them up on the offer. I’ve been gone from Concord for over 40 years now, many years, and the area where lady slippers once grew has long-since been developed, thus destroying the fragile ecosystem required in order for these beautiful orchids to grow. What a loss!
We had the Beautiful pink lady slippers , and they were so beautiful. We took many pictures of them but we passed on to our son what we had been told, never pick a lady slipper as it is illegal. I now live in Sarasota, FL and our famous Selby Botanical Gardens, is an Orchid lovers dream come true.
My mother lives in Dublin, NH on 4.5 acres of wooded land and has had quite a few Lady Slippers. She would place a wooden dowel at the site so she could find them the following year. And I was told when I was a child that it was illegal to pick them and to this day, my mother continues to tell me this. I will print out this article for her to read.
Was very excited to see the wild pink lady slippers in and around the hike at The Flume gorge in N.H. I was able to share it with all my grandchildren! Also came across many Jack in the Pulpits, which I hadn’t seen in years. Grew up in N.H. And always enjoyed seeing the wild flowers.
Yes, indeed, I was responsible, as a child, for the decline of lady’s slippers in MA. As a fourth grader we were encouraged to do a wild flower book for school. We had to go around in our woods and collect, dry and mount in our book, many different varieties of ‘wild flowers’! I loved wild flowers then and I still do now. I used to scamper across the woods and collect as many lady’s slippers as I could. Then, being told, somewhat later that they were endangered I became so upset. I then tried to plant them in my yard, all to no avail. Now as an adult I am always excited to see lady’s slippers in the wild. Several years ago living in CT I visited White Flower Farm and purchased horticultural lady’s slippers and tried my luck with them. They didn’t come up again. Now I enjoy them when I see them and admonish my friends, not to pick! Trust me on this, you won’t be successful trying to grow them.
Growing up in South Ashburnham, and always playing in the woods around us, I was always told that it was illegal to pick Lady Slippers. I still believe it.
When we lived in Norfolk, MA (a Boston suburb) we had several in the woods at the back of our property. Loved them!
Yes, we were always told that lady slippers were protected and it was illegal to take them because they were so rare. It is such a treat and a joy to see one of them, just like it is to see any rare wild animal!
We lived in Windham for 13 years and our home abutted conservation land. We had a small area on our property that was covered with Lady Slippers. My son as a little one fell in love with the flower and has since then been lover of Orchids and nature as well. I miss seeing them.
My grandparents owned 17 acres of forest on the south shore of Massachusetts. I was allowed as a child to pick one lady slipper each summer to put in a vase and admire.
I came to live in New England, more specifically New Hartford CT nearly 50 years ago. We purchased a small caretakers house from a larger parcel of land that was being broken up. The little house stood on about 1 acre; there were about 3 acres of wetland surrounding it. There in the woods we found a cluster of pink lady slippers which we jealously guarded, watching out for them each May. Alas, during a storm a large tree fell over the area and we never saw them there again. About 4 years ago we spotted about 3 on the edge of our dirt road, hidden among some debris and low growing mountain laurel. Again, with another gardening neighbor, we quietly enjoyed them…and then they disappeared. We don’t know where or why….
We were clearing a lot in Gilford, NH to build our house and found many pink lady slippers. My husband dug them up with huge soil around them and transplanted them about 10-15 ft away from original area. They did come up the following years but I think it was because of the same soil conditions. We were lucky!
I grew up in Aroostook County, Maine and loved seeing Lady’s Slippers in the woods near my grandparents house. I was terrified of picking one for fear I would end up in jail!!
My grandmother would take us into the wood behind her Portsmouth NH home, show us, but we were never allowed to pick any. This was well over 60 year ago, I live in North Carolina now but have never forgotten . The area is developed now and I often wonder if any survived .
I grew up in North Dartmouth MA in the 1950s. It was common to see Ladyslippers growing in wooded areas when we would explore. Back then, it was illegal to pick them.
I’m from Brockton MA and was severely warned as a child by my mother that it was illegal to pick a Lady Slipper! We once had one growing in our neighborhood woods and I dutifully warned all my friends that they would be arrested if they picked it!
They have a very long taproot and also require special soil conditions — they won’t grow just anyplace. Winter conditions make a difference as well. I’m fortunate in that I have them growing up at the head of my driveway surrounded by star flower, foam flower, and false lily-of-the-valley. I’ve had as many as 45 and (up until this year) as few as 8 over the past 35 years. This year I had TWO. Yes, I’m concerned…
I lived in N. Reading, Ma. when I was a child. There was a huge field behind our house. I saw the lady slippers every year. I knew from an early age not to pick them. In fact sometimes my mother would remind me not to. I did think they were so beautiful.
When growing in the wild, if you pick them they will not come back. Maybe that’s why it was believed to be illegal to pick them.
I am 72 years old. When I was a child my friends and I used to explore the fields and woods in our neighborhood. There was a path that we stayed on because we were told there was quicksand off the path. One day we saw a delicate pink flower near the path. We learned later that it was a Ladyslipper and not to touch or pick it as it was rare and protected. I often wondered how it grew in that shady forest and why it grew all alone. I respected it and felt privileged to have seen it. It was so special. I have never forgotten that delicate pink flower so alone in the dark forest.
The town was Elmwood, Ma.
My young girlfriend from Medway Mass told me 35 years ago not to ever pick them, not because it was illegal but because you couldn’t grow them on your own. Everything she told me about plants has always turned out to be the Gospel truth & so I believed her then and still do. Now I know why. I have only seen them in the woods where few people go, not on the usual trodden paths. I love to pick wild flowers but this is one that I will forever leave alone.
As a child growing up in Fitchburg Ma I came across lady slippers and jack in-the-pulpits on many occasions. Was told it was illegal and let them be. Always a thrill when I came across one. So few of them.
I now live in MN where the Showy Lady Slipper is the state flower. However, that being said, dozens of Lay Slippers flourished in my Mom’s Lisbon, CT yard. Wonderful!
As a girl scout, many years ago,I remember seeing them in the woods in Westfield,MA
I grew up in the woods in Sudbury, Massachusetts and was always told picking ladies slippers was illegal. To my father, I think lady slippers were as precious as his two daughters. We had a precious few around our house but I clearly remember when a nearby intersection was going to be widened and my father knew there were two ladies slippers that would have been destroyed, he transplanted them into our yard. Both survived much to my father’s delight .
We live in Sandwich, MA and I find many lady slippers all around on some of our property which we have let it just stay in its natural state…love to look at them as they are so delicate, however, have never picked any. Happy to learn it is best to leave them.
I grew up in Carlisle, MA in the 50’s and loved to go to “Lady Slipper Land” in the woods behind our house. I was told not to pick them – they were rare and it was illegal. We also had “Christmas Tree Land” in the same area of woods. One day we decided that transplanting some Lady Slippers into Christmas Tree Land was not really picking them, so we tried to carefully dig them up and move them. Needless to say they did not take and we were crushed. We were also deathly afraid of going to jail for disturbing Nature. We never tried again.
When we moved to Salem, CT there were Lady Slippers (only a few) growing in back of our house. My very sensitive young nephew picked one because he thought it was so pretty.
When he brought it to our house my husband told him he shouldn’t have picked it-that it was illegal to do so.
The poor kid burst into tears-almost 30 years later I bet he’s still traumatized by the experience!
It seems this is a hot topic! We had them growing in our white pine forest in southern RI back in the ’60’s-70’s, and yes we were told never to pick them. The blossoms disappeared for many years, we were dismayed and not sure why. Over the last. Purple of years some have returned, and we even had a white one mixed in wth the pinks. We wonder if this is a different kind, or a subspecies or a melanistic form of pink. Any ideas?
Over the last couple of years (not Purple, sorry!)
I am 62 years old and my grandfather owned a cabin on Bare Hill Pond in Harvard MA when I was a child. A Lady’s Slipper grew in the woods next to the cabin and I was always under the impression that it was illegal to pick it.
Growing up in Ludlow Massachusetts my brother and I would take a walk in our back yard on the way to the Chicopee River to fish and we always saw plenty of them in the woods near the path we were on.
I used to walk a trail in NH mostly in the spring because of all the lady slippers that were there. I have not been back for may years but am hoping to go back again next sprint (2017). For may years I had 4 lady slippers at the top of my drive way away from the main road. Every year I go up there to take photos. This year when I went up to find them they were not there. I went several times but no flowers. I am very unhappy they are not there and hope they will be there next year. I love seeing them so much. Thank you for the story from the Native People as to why will have this great flower.
cec
I lived in Massachusetts as a youngster and remember the beautiful Lady Slipper’s on a point of our land that went out into Sabbatia Lake in Taunton. What a thrill to be reminded of them some 60 years later.
I grew up on Cape Cod (Osterville) and remember seeing this beautiful wildflower many times while out walking. Was always told it was illegal to pick them and they could not be transplanted. Many years later my parents built a house in the woods and low and behold after a few years we found a patch of lady slippers in the back area. What a treat to see for many years
Yes, while growing up I was always told not to pick Lady Slippers as it was an endangered species and illegal to pick them.
I found them in the woods one day (Massachusetts). I picked one and brought it home to my mother. She said, “Where did you find that? You know they are illegal to pick.” I told her where I’d seen them and that I didn’t know I was breaking the law. A little while later she said she had to go to the store … with her shovel. I shall say no more.
Alas, I must confess that I regularly picked Lady Slippers from age 12-25 or so. I understood that the rule for not piking them was because you would pull up the entire plant when you tugged the flower. I always had scissors or a knife and cut the stems, believing they would regrow, and that seemed to be the case year after year.
They grew on my land when I had 8 acres of land, and love the beauty, of them, lived in Sutton, NH, on Corporation Hill Rd. and always adored them and let them grow, never touched them. Beautiful Touch to Gods Land that we were blessed with.
About 35 years ago our garden club in South Windsor, CT was allowed to dig Lady Slipper plants on land that was going to be developed. I dug quite a bit of soil and leaf mold and planted mine in my shade garden under a large oak tree. To my delight it survived and bloomed for quite a few years, and then disappeared. What a treasure. I also was told that it was illegal to pick them.
I had quite a few in the woods behind my home until the neighborhood kids with their ATV’s ran them all down. No one in authority wanted to do anything to save them.
As a child growing up in York, Maine, the woods was full of the beautiful pink slipper. I was also told it was illegal to pick, and was very upset if anyone broke this sacrosanct law. It did help instill in me a love and respect of nature. I have since returned and can find not one slipper along my old woodland trails.
We have Pink Lady Slippers growing behind our garage in Loudon, NH. We don’t touch them and certainly don’t pick them. They have come back every year so far.
I live in Nova Scotia, Canada and as a child, I always picked a few Lady Slippers for my mother on her birthday on June 1st. Then I was told that it was illegal to pick them. We have them growing in our back yard amongst the ferns and trees. I am now 78 years old and I would NEVER pick a Lady Slipper.
In the late 1970’s , I think,the General Federation of Women’s Clubs was part of a petition drive to make the pink lady’s slipper the state wildflower. We were successful and now, in addition t our state flower, the lilac, which is not native to New Hampshire, we have the pink lady’s slipper as our state wildflower. Part of the reason it was chosen was that it is found in every county in the state. There have been studies that tagged the carbon entering pine trees in photosynthesis. Sugars from the pine trees ended up in the lady’s slippers by way of their symbiotic fungi. No wonder they don’t transplant well!
Growing up in Taunton, Ma our mom would frequently take us on walks in the woods where we would see both yellow and pink lady slippers. She told us it was illegal to pick them and we obeyed, except for one time. I wanted so badly to grow them in our yard that I dug one up. I can still remember the fear that I might be stopped by the police as I carried it home in a paper bag! I always thought they looked prettier in their woodland setting anyway.
I am a seasonal camper on Cape Cod in the Bourne area and have seen 2 lady slippers growing right along the fence separating the golf course from the camp ground. I was told NEVER pic or touch them when I was a child.
I grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts and as a child my friends and I loved to play in the woods. We loved seeing the lady slipper flowers but had been warned by our parents that it was illegal to pick them.
I remember seeing them in the woods when I was a child. I was always told not to pick them. I was on the bike trail in Amherst Mass two weeks ago and saw several of them up on the bank that leads into the woods. I was thrilled to see them. I haven’t seen them since. – Carol
I grew up in Rhode Island and remember seeing the Lady Slipper and was also told it was a flower that we could look at but never pick. Also remember walking in woods and smelling a plant we called trailing arbutus. Have many fond memories of the woods around our home.
Aurie; Florida, I grew up in Maine and saw many lady slippers, both yellow and pink. I was told that it was illegal to pick them BUT I have many pictures of them in my apt. now. 2016. [I’m 87].
I grew up in Fitchburg, Ma. and now live in SC. The wonderful comments brought back so many cherished memories from my childhood. When I was quite young, I often picked wild flowers (and weeds, too, I suspect) for my mom. I picked a lady slipper for her on one of my nature walks in the wooded area next to our house. Her reaction was not what I had expected! She informed me that it was illegal (first I knew of it) and my older brothers added that I would probably go to jail! It left a traumatic, and lasting impression on me. I love seeing lady slippers, but only in pictures now, as I have seen none on my hikes and camping trips in SC.
It’s legal to sell them now. Plants or seeds. I’m trying seeds. From NE and formerly Massachusetts
As a child in the 1960’s living in Edgewood, RI, my family would go on day trips to Arcadia Park in western RI. Our parents taught us to respect all of Nature. Along the streams and ponds we would occasionally see lady slippers and jack- in- the- pulpits. My three brothers and I were told they were very special and against the law to pick them. We didn’t dare! And even if I tried to hide one in the old “Blue Bomber” Dodge Dart station wagon, they would have ratted me out!
I grew up in Nova Scotia and would see lady slippers there, and also on Prince Edward Island, however, we were instructed not to pick them. When I lived in Ashford, CT there was an area with lots of shade and humus where I discovered over a dozen blooming. I kept it as my “secret garden” for several years before I shared the location with a friend who painted them. They are sov ery special.
I WAS BORN AND RAISED ON LOCUSVILLE POND THE HOUSE FACING SOAP HOUSE LANE. I USED TO WALKER DOWN TO THE PUG HOLE TO SIT AND WATCH THE LADY SLIPPERS GROW They were very peaceful.
While camping at Trout Pond in Lost River WV I was lucky enough to see a lady slipper blooming 5/9/17.
I am eagerly awaiting my Lady Slippers. They grow wild in my yard here on Cape Cod. We usually see about half a dozen plants each year. We will be moving later this year as it is time to downsize now that our family is grown. I will miss them !!!!
I grew up in Swansea, Massachusetts in the 60’s and behind my house was woods. As kids we had made paths in the woods where many a Lady Slipper would grow. I loved seeing them popping up in random places along with their friend, Jack in the Pulpit. We would pick them but it wasn’t until I was older when I was told they shouldn’t be picked because it takes so long for them to propagate. My father, as a boy, would pick the flower from the stem and float them on the pond and they looked like little ducks! In my new home in Dighton, MA, I found one stray slipper in the woods behind my house. I hope I get more. They bring back good memories!
I grew up in Maine in the late 70’s-80’s and played in my grandparents woods that went from the road all the way down to the shore. There was a waterfall and trails with lots of wildlife and several ponds on the property. It was a wonderland for a kid. There were lady slippers everywhere in the woods and every year before being let loose to play we were told to NEVER pick them that it was AGAINST THE LAW!!! We Never did, and they are still there to this day.
I’m lucky to have them growing in my yard in Townsend Ma. We never pick them. We live on the edge of the State Wildlife MGMT area. Love them!
We have these plants right here in Barnegat, New Jersey. There are a small amount that grow on the Rail Trail right behind my house. They are hard to notice, which keeps them safe from pickers.
I am incredibly fortunate to have three separate clumps of Lady Slippers in a wooded section of my property in Maine. Over the past 14 years, the clumps have shown very slow but steady increase in size. They are a joy and I am very selective about who I show them to.
I was a little girl on a kindergarten field trip to ”Laughing Brook’ in Hampden, Ma. We had some free play time and I picked my teacher a beautiful bouquet of pink lady slippers. I had no idea they were endangered. My teacher’s face was panic-stricken when I gave them to her but she hugged me, explained the problem and quickly buried the bouquet out of sight. I never picked them again!
Remember seeing these as a child growing up west of Boston. We were always told it was illegal to pick them so we never did. Have lived in ME, NH, and VT but don’t remember seeing them since I was a kid. It was always so exciting to see one.
I grew up in Norton Massachusetts in the 1960’s before Route 495 was built.. beyond our back yard were the “Great Woods”. we followed the old trail for miles where there were many pink lady slippers growing, and yes-we were told they were endangered and never picked them.
Do Lady Slippers grow in other parts of the country, or are they indigenous to New England. It would be hard to imagine they simply don’t grow beyond the borders of New England. On the other hand, I have never seen one outside of New England.
We have them in Pennsylvania. The Forest Service map shows the range is about 1/3 of the United States.
Yesterday we were hiking on the AT in Maryland and came upon a Ladyslipper. We didn’t know what it was and my daughter typed a rather vulgar description into her phone (based on what the flower looked like) to try and determine what it was. We were pretty amused to see how her description actually brought up the correct flower. I am glad we did not let the young kids pick it, especially knowing now that they should not be picked. A lovely and unusual flower.
Interesting note: Ladyslipper s the State Flower of Minnesota. Another note: they also come in white and yellow as well as pink. Maybe more shades?
I live in Northeast Georgia, to my delight , we have them on my parents property. I just found a beautiful patch on the side of the road in Temple, Georgia. Ive just recently learned to recognize the plant by the leaves, without the famous bloom. My very first find was as a young lady in the north Georgia mountain near Blue Ridge. It was on my Great Grandparents farm at the back of the pasture on the other side of the fence. A perfect specimen for a young mind. Many years ago I attempted to move a passion fruit plant but it did not make it.
We have several plants at our camp in Denmark. I look forward each year when they blossom. As much as I’d love to turn that section between the camp and the water into lawn, I won’t because of the precious Lady Slippers that grow there. I am thankful that the previous owners also kept it wild.
I grew up in Andover, MA in the late 50’s and there was a lovely woods we loved to play in where many lady slippers grew, even then we knew those were not to be picked.
When I was living in Milford MA there was a patch of woods near my home where there was a very nice clump of lady slippers. About a year after we moved in the town decided to build a new fire station there and one evening after I had seen heavy equipment starting to clear the land I went with a wheelbarrow and carefully dug out as big a circle around the lady slippers and lifted it into the wheelbarrow and transplanted it to another spot with similar trees around. To my great delight the following year the lady slippers bloomed once again.
The pink variety bloomed in July in the woods behind our house in lower Delaware when I was a child. Unfortunately, my brother and I were not aware of their unique growing requirements, and would compete to see who could pick the most.
50 years ago when we bought our home in NYState, my wife, who was familiar with lady slippers from her days as a student at Wheaton College, Norton, MA, ordered some to plant in the woods behind our house. They did get leaves but never bloomed.
Is it at all possible to get Lady Slipper seeds? Would love to sow them in the surrounding woods to help them keep growing.
Yes. Vermont Wildflower Farm, Charlotte, VT
My mother taught school in Jackson and Bartlett, NH. One of her favorite projects was “nature,” more exactly, exploring the natural world around you. In the spring, she often took her class into the woods to look for wildflowers, mosses and lichens. She taught her students to press wildflowers and mount them in a scrapbook, labelled with the flowers name, where it was found, and anything the student wished to add. Each student was allowed to cut one, and only one, ladyslipper blossom, but never all the flowers in a particular area. The “one” was understood to be “for the rest of your life.”
As a child in Maine we used to cut through the woods to Green Lake and would see a few there. Later in life I lived in Conn. and unknowingly I picked some (in a state park no less) . I had a friend in one day and she was shocked and told me they were on the conservation llist. I have never picked any since.
Oh yes,.. our wood were filled with them some years, others not so much. Dad had instructed us at a very young age that they were not to be picked as the length of time to grow was significant. Not knowing it was illegal however. This was in the early 40’s. But the beauty and splendor of this wondrous plant has never been matched or supplanted in memory. I grew up in Connecticut and the woods were filled with little rivulets of water… I imagine the wet conditions provided the fairyland for their growth. Magnificent Lady Slipper!
Several years ago there was a small patch of white ones with green !Eaves at the base of the flower instead of the reddish one of the pink. They were on the Kankamagus. Also some in a small town a bit north of there.
At present I have 39 plants in bloom, we noticed that the plants have increased every year. We protect them, we worry that many plants will be destroyed in the area that we live in with the building of new homes. People are not even aware of them, and I’ve even seen people picking them. We have tried to preserve them, but I feel they will some day disappear because people are not educated about them or not aware of them.
We are lucky enough to have them scattered across our property in the Adirondacks, better yet is the Indian Pipes that punctuate them.
As a child in Seekonk, MA, was told they were illegal to pick. Loved them. See them in Natick, MA, at Broadmore Wildlife Sactuary. We are lucky enough to have them along the right of way to our summer cottage in the Lakes Region of NH. We’ve had over 35 in one patch with others here and there in the woods. We watch for them each year and worry someone will bother them. So far, so good. I call them “The Ladies of the Club”.
Hi just saw this article on FB. I live in the Coastal Plains of Eastern NC . We found ~3 Pink Lady Slippers in our wooded trail near our property.. so glad to read the article . I didn’t know they grew this far South..????
Between Woods Hole and falmouth is Quissett woods. Growing up there in the 1960’s I would see many. i dare say they are all gone due the Oceanographic tore up the woods for more buildings and roads.
Here in Maine, they grow in my yard, on the dark side of the house.
Watch for them in Maine’s softwood areas. Growing up in central Maine, Dad was a forester and if he knew there were LSs in areas they were cutting he’d attempt to transplant them …. though some survived, more times than not they would not. Nowadays I stumble upon them in predominantly pine forests …. do they like softwood areas because the ground is arid or does the soils texture and composition provide unique nutrients. I just enjoy hiking thru the woods seeking them. Noticed they come back year after year in the same spot …. heard they have a life span of a human. They are near peak in the western Maine mountains.
A very beautiful flower to see. As recently we visited family in western Maine. We we’re show many pink lady slippers on their property and were told they are endangered and not to pick them. We never did, are visit was for a week and we had counted over thirty. But only one white one. We hope to return again to see more beautiful things in nature. We love being outdoors!
We just moved to our first house, which is in Upstate NY. I’ve had lots of surprises this Spring and Summer with all of the beautiful flowers blossoming, that the previous owner had planted. We also have a lot of gorgeous wildflowers. I *think* we have Lady’s Slipper, both white and pink, but I’m not totally sure that that is what they are. I wish I could post a pic here…..
We used to find lady slippers in the woods behind our house when I was little. A few years ago a Lady Slipper suddenly appeared in a flower bed beside my house. It bloomed every year for about 3 years then no more. I often wonder what brought it there and why it disappeared. I check the spot every year in hopes to see another.
I have seen them in Milton NH in the 80’s, but only a few. Yes, they are endangered!
I too have seen a few in Milton, NH, they are beautiful!
We have them here in NW New Jersey. Not as many as there use to be but they are in the woods behind our house. Along with Jack in the Pulpits that are also a neat plant to look at with amazement. We have always left these plants alone. They have been there for over 50 years.
Springtime was always so exciting for my brother and me. Our school held a contest to see who could find, identify and share their beautiful finds with their class. Every year while we were in grade school the lower grades had a wildflower contest. My brother and I won year after year as our family was so appreciative of God’s beautiful gifts of wildflowers it became a family affair to hit the patches of the early spring lady slippers and other wildflowers. I always felt bad when we were announced the WINNER! We were not only lucky or fortunate to win but to have a Mom and Dad who spent every Sunday afternoon out in the beautiful Maine woods with us finding and identifying the pretty wild flowers.
N.Attleboro , back in the woods behind my house were Lady Slippers along side Jack-in-the- pulpit. BEAUTIFUL . Knew not to pick as family told horror story of my older sister picking them when young , LOL
Loved reading “Comments”. Now I want to try growing Jack-in-the-Pulpits as well as the Lady Slippers and the Trilliums (Red and White). I now live in Nebraska where people ask me (about Lady Slippers), “What are they?”
Endangered? I must live somewhere very odd then. Every summer for the 40+ years I have been alive it is fields of pink all over the place. The difficulty of transplanting is over rated as well. They are passed around by people left and right. Then again we grow Thimbleberries like they are tap water here as well and they are supposedly “difficult” plants as well. Difficult in city , high pollution sense and the suburbs surrounding those areas and saying difficult in the middle of a very rural area are quite different. Get away from the over crowding , pollution , urban expanse and the like and most plants are perfectly happy I find.
while Turkey hunting in Hancock Co Tenn. I have seen purple Slippers on a couple of hills that the Turkeys roost on. In Botetourte Co. VA. I have also seen the purple slippers and also yellow ones while Turkey hunting
I’m in Pembroke, Massachusetts. I have them in my backyard. We have a lot of nature trails and walking places here and they are very abundant. My sister who lives near Plymouth has them in her backyard too. They are illegal to pick or transplant. If you get caught you could be fined.
In addition to what I just wrote: According to 1935 Massachusetts law 116A under the General Laws, “no person shall pull up or dig up the plant of a wild azalea, wild orchid or cardinal flower.” ection 116A. No person shall pull up or dig up the plant of a wild azalea, wild orchid or cardinal flower (lobelia cardinalis), or any part thereof, or injure any such plant or any part thereof except in so far as is reasonably necessary in procuring the flower therefrom, within the limits of any state highway or any other public way or place, or upon the land of another person without written authority from him, and no person shall buy or sell, or offer or expose for sale, any such flower, or the whole or any part of the plant thereof, knowing, or having reasonable cause to believe, that in procuring such flower or plant the foregoing provisions have been violated. Violation of any provision of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than five dollars.
Growing up in Maine, we were told never to pick ladies slippers as it was against the law. Over the years, I have transplanted them from areas that were under road construction knowing they would be destroyed. Occasionally the newly transplanted flowers would survive for awhile , but then disappeared. We have many trilliums ,red and white , and lots of Jack in the pulpits we transplanted years ago, and they are thriving and multiplying from Maine over to our home in Vermont.
I lived in Greenwich, Connecticut growing up. As a young girl we used to walk through the woods to get to school. There were always patches of lily of the valley, lady slippers, violets, etc. We always picked them as a bouquet for our Moms.
I have lived in Hingham, MA since 1986 and have spent a great deal of time in our local woods, with our dogs. There are several pink ones I enjoy looking at in various places. In one spot in a town park there are jack-in-the-pulpits, also. Near that spot a pond has pink water lillies I also enjoy looking at. I grew up in northern NH, adjacent to a “vacant lot” that was owned by our next door neighbor, who allowed me to “explore” on his property all I wanted. There were “stinky” red trilliums adjacent to our home, a wooded lot, and across the street from him house, another vacant lot he owned, there were white trilliums, that don’t smell, which I liked better because they don’t smell! I just love wild flowers!
I live in Maine and have always been fascinated with the beauty of the lady slipper. We had many on our land but due to developments we have lost them, which saddened me deeply. However, one day when I least expected it there she was one lone pink lady slipper, as if to say ” I survived”. To this day I look forward to seeing her come back every year, although some years she makes me anxious because I do not think she survived our harsh winter, this being one of those years. My sister-in-law replanted some and they survived for a while but again developments contributed to their demise. Another flower that we have seen dwindle in our area is the mayflower, so sad not to find these anymore, maybe someday.
I thoroughly enjoyed coming across a lady slipper during a hike because of their beauty and rarity and elusive locations. I wouldn’t tell you where I saw them for $1.00 or a million because, the sanctity and mystery of nature are so striking on individual discovery, and I aim to keep it that way!
Growing up as a child in Wakefield, Mass. I remember seeing just one Lady Slipper in the woods in back of our house. It was so pretty. Now, I believe, they have built homes in those woods. So sad! I’ve been away from that home for 45 years. Thing do change as the years go by. My mother and I used to pick bluberries in those woods.
We used to hike in our “town forest” in Needham, Mass. In the 1950’s my Mom was a Girl Scout leader, and on our scouting hikes tried to protect Lady Slippers by making stick fences around them, at least a foot or so from the blossoms, in an attempt to prevent them from being trampled, and to warn off those tempted to pick them. I don’t know if we saved many, but they became precious to us, and I have loved them all my life.
When my I was a girl scout we did the same, when I was the leader of both my daughter’s GS troops we taught the same stick or rock fence so they didn’t get trampled! I remember doing this at the GS Camp Hoffman in Kingston RI.
When we visited my grandparents in Brentwood NH when I was barely school age, my Dad and I would go into the woods looking for flowers. He always told
me we couldn’t pick lady slippers because they were an endangered species. I have repeated that my entire life and I’m now 81 years old!!
In the spring of the early 40s my father took my brother and me into the woods on the Mt. Holyoke range to identify and learn about mayflowers. We also found lady slippers and I contracted the worst case of what acted like poison ivy or poison oak from sniffing the lady slippers. My parents considered hospitalizing me in the week following our woodland adventure. I learned to give lady slippers a wide berth whenever I’ve seen them in the woods.
Growing up in Western Massachusetts that was my mother’s favorite flower. We had a backyard that was rather large with a lot of pine trees and the pink lady slippers seem to love the soil there. Every time I see one there reminds me of my mother. They are so beautiful and delicate.
Growing up in Granby (CT) our property included a 1+acre farming property where the West Branch of the Salmon Brook entered the Main Branch of the
Salmon Brook. This point was abloom with Lady Slippers once the soil dried out. Back in the 40’s, sisters and I picked a few for Decoration Day baskets and earlier for adding to May Baskets. Have not been back to visit the farm land since 2002. I hope they are still surviving. Florida does not grow Lady Slippers!!
I live in Groton, MA. When we bought our property in 1997, we were thrilled to discover 2 or three young lady slipper plants just coming into flowering. We enjoyed these for only a couple of years until someone (we live on a very exposed corner) dug them up and stole them. I wish the thief was a bit more informed about what a bad idea that was on so many levels.
I grew up in Greenfield MA near a beautiful woods area. So many wonderful things grew there including Lady Slippers and Hepatica. We never picked the Lady Slippers and seldom picked the Hepatica because our mother told us they were endangered. Now I
am 74 years old. The beautiful woods were taken down so a super market could be built. I am fortunate to have gown up in such a magical place that now only exists in memory. Progress is not!
We found them often growing up in Maine. We also always looked for “Stinking Benjamin’s” on our rides. My mother could spot them out in the woods from a mile away!
behind my home in Maine, we had hundreds on the backside of my property, there was a small brook running thru and many trees, very shadowy. perfect conditions for them..
About 30 years ago we moved into our New Home. Since then what was once 1 couple of Trillium plants have turned into at least 100. Unlike most people we know we did not remove the trees and wildlife. My Grandfather believed we are stewards not owners of the land. I believe if you want the perfect lawn you should live in the city.
We lived in a home in North Stonington, CT that had beautiful lady slippers in the front yard. It was shady, and they were lovely! Over the years we lived in the house, they multiplied. I hope the people who now live in the house enjoy them as much as we did.
I was just on a walk in a forest near my home (NEPA) when I stumbled upon one of these. I was very surprised to learn we have orchids growing in Pennsylvania. My first thought was to go get a trowel and bucket so that I can could dig it up and plant it underneath the pine trees in my yard, but, after reading this, that’s clearly no longer an option. I think I’ll go post a small laminated card next to it asking fellow hikers to leave it be along with a link to this page.
Thanks for the info!
Tony.
I just came across one yesterday and was wondering if they’re still endangered! Funny that this article pops up today!
I also grew up seeing Lady Slippers in the woods across the street from where I lived in Berkley, Massachusets. Since that time I have wanted to try and grow some myself. I have found that Hillside Nurseries do sell Lady Slippers. I have not purchased any, because they are a little pricey. However, it is a good place to start.
I just found two of these on a walk yesterday. They are right on a side of a path, I hope they make it!
I few up and live in Virginia. Growing up the lady slippers grew in the wood around our house. I use to go looking for them when I was a little girl. I think they are one of the most beautiful flowers I’ve ever seen.
This is my first spring in New England and what should I find in the wooded side yard off my deck but several pink Lady Slipper’s. Totally enchanted after having moved from a city in Michigan to the woods of New Hampshire to find these lovelies!!
My husband and I hiked in the Middlesex Fells Reservation today, on and around the Crystal Spring Trail. We calculate that we must have seen at least 200 lady slippers on our three plus mile hike. They transform the woods into an enchanted forest!
While clearing out a small over grown section of our yard today. My husband and I found 4 pink lady slippers! That section is getting left alone now. We live in South Kingstown RI.
Found one in Sutton Ma today. Haven’t seen one since I was a little girl in Oxford Ma.
We had them growing in the woods behind my house in Foxboro, MA when I was a child. Like so many others have commented, I picked one when I was probably 4 to give to my Mom, and she told me how pretty but that it was illegal to pick them. I cried, but never picked one again, and dutifully told all the kids I knew not to pick them. I moved to VT 31 years ago, where we have a 150-acre mountain farm with about 100 in woodland forest, but I have never seen a Lady Slipper here. We have lots of Jack in the Pulpit in our woods.
There are a few every year in the woods adjacent to “Five Mile Pond” in Springfield, MA. People here are very aware of the fact that they are protected because when I posted a photo of them on the local “Next Door” social media site (without telling EXACTLY where it was) I got several comments about them being illegal to pick. They grew all over the woods on the family farm in Chateaugay, New York and in Ellenburg, New York. They were protected “way back then” in New York.
Just found two tonight in my back yard…I live in the Adirondack Park in New York..
Just found a patch of about 45-60 near the Adirondack park today, too.
I m also in the Adirondacks. We found two pink lady slippers on our wooded lot this morning. This is our 10th summer in our cabin and this is the first time we have seen them. We also have a jack-in-pulpit in bloom and both red and painted trillium.
We live in Dingmans Ferry, Pa and have 7 in bloom now more than in the past. I was going to transplant them but after reading I will just leave inplace and admire them. My wife and I have looked forward to them blooming for the last 13 years we have lived here.
I see them every year in Canfield woods on the Deep River side.
Nicole, we lived out near Chester airport
And saw lady slippers there. It was serendipitous to read your comment about Canfield Woods. Now we live in Wellfleet, MA and saw lady slippers here. Smile, Virginia
Just bought a second home in Tamworth, New Hampshire. We closed at the end of July 2017. This May we were delighted to find two beautiful lady slippers growing at the edge of our yard.
When we built our home 30 years ago we only had a couple of Lady Slippers in our yard, this spring I counted over 70!!! Such a beautiful sight. We live in Charlestown, RI
In east central West Virginia, the logging industry has taken it’s toll on not only the Pink Lady Slipper but other high mountain species as well. I believe there are grant programs to aid in growing and repopulating the lady slipper. I’ve only seen 3 in my entire life in Randolph County, WV… So beautiful.
When I was a child growing up in Howard County ,Maryland, each year on my birthday my grandfather and I would hike through out woods to a patch of pink lady slippers in bloom. He was of native american decent and this was his gift to me. Every year I looked forward to this quiet moment with him. When I moved from Maryland to Connecticut, pink lady slippers bloomed in the woods behind our house. I’m certain my long deceased grandfather was continuing to send me a cherished birthday gift.
There are several plants in Jones Forest, Billerica, MA
I had 1 when I was 8 or 10 years old on our property and now I’m 33 and theres only 4 or 5 ..
In midland, michigan
I used to live in Wakefield, Massachusetts. When I was a youngster, I remember seeing just one and only one beautiful pink Lady Slipper growing in the woods in back of my house. I never did see any more after that, including the one I originally saw. So sad!
We had lady slippers along our long driveway down to Torch Lake Michigan. I remember always looking for them arriving for the summer. They were considered protected back then, 1960’s. I went down that driveway this year to see if they were still there. I could not find them & I have never run across them in many years. I was sad. I would buy seeds and grow them on my property close to the same area if I thought I could do it. Wonder if germinating would help.
There are beautiful pink Lady Slipper arounf Houghtons Pond in the Blue Hills.
I live in western North Carolina. I just photographed a pair of pink ladyslippers in the woods behind my house April 25, 2019. We have lived here 36 years and have been fortunate enough to see them every spring. So beautiful!
One of the absolute treasures of the NC mountains!
We built our home in 1996 in CT. To my delight, I saw one pink lady slipper bloomed behind my rock garden. I remember thinking that I hit gold that year. I look forward to making sure it comes back every year. Last year, I had 5. Today, April 27, 2019, I now have 10 getting ready to come up. So exciting.
When I was a kid, my Mom discovered 2 or 3 lady slipper plants growing next to the road a mile or so from home. Every year we’d stop on our way by to enjoy them. Never saw another one anywhere.
Until last spring. We had bought a new house in February, and in early June the neighbor said “How’s the lady slipper patch doing”? Of course we knew nothing of it, so he showed it to us. It’s a few hundred yards from our house in a small clearing in the woods. They were mostly gone by at that time, but we still were able to see a few dozen. There have to be two hundred altogether.
Unfortunately, this year we probably won’t see them at all, as we’ll be away from mid-May to mid-June… I will have to have one of our kids make sure they keep track of the progress and get pics for us.
Growing up in Pennsylvania the woods behind our house had lady slippers. We called them Mountain Tulips. Every May my mom would send us to find them. We were taught to pinch them off. They thrived there my whole life and still are there. Tried transplanting but wouldn’t take. Never found them anywhere else.
30 years ago we had 2 or 3 Trillium in the back yard . We now have several hundred .We enjoy them as much as the Lady Slippers and they seem to thrive .
When we were young, my Mom had us make stick fences around them in our town forrest. The Lady Slippers grew very low, and we tried to protect them from being trampled by making them noticeable to hikers. We were never allowed to pick them. They were lovely.
There was a big patch of pink lady slippers right across the street from The Green Lady Cemetery in Burlington, Connecticut back in 1983. I don’t know if they are still there.
Rocky Woods Reservation in Medfield MA is loaded with lady slippers. My husband and I visited one year at the very beginning of June and they were abundant along the trails. We used to own a house and land in Winchendon MA and were fortunate to have had several of them in the back part of our woods. We were thrilled when their delicate flowers bloomed each Spring, but never, ever picked them, even though they were on our own private property.
Since some have mentioned Taunton in years gone by, I will share I live there now, on Lake Sabbatia. In my yard, there is a buffer zone if woods along the water, and there about a dozen pink lady slippers that are thriving. I watch closely for them every spring.
Grew up in CT, found a few in the woods behind our house in the 60’s and 70’s, always shady where they were,, Loved those and a bleeding heart plant my mother had in the front yard,,
Yes, we have a small patch of lady slippers on our property in Central Maine. And, yes, I was told, as a kid, it is illegal to pick them. They are pretty. We have “let them be” and they seem to do well.
The woods around my father’s house in Foxborough had plenty of Lady Slippers. The land has since been developed and they are most likely all gone now. We enjoyed them while we could and knew not to disturb them.
In the early 1990’s, I would walk through the woods behind our home, with my sons to the bus stop at the end of the street in York ME. We once counted over 120 of them in pinks and whites. Unfortunately, more homes were built and the count is severely down. I know that well-intended neighbors attempted to transplant some, but it just doesn’t work. We called them “lady slipper orchids” of the N.E.
Spotted 2 at Bourne Scenic Park in Buzzards Bay
I wish I could attach my pictures!
My wife and I found ONE along woods road here in PA. Maybe the constant rain has allowed the fungus to flourish to feed the orchid.
We found one of these in Williamsburg Virginia last year on Easter 2018
I live in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, and I have many of these beautiful little orchids growing in the tall pines of my 73 acre property. I enjoy my walk to see them each Spring. Such special plants should be left undisturbed, but I do allow folks to come and look at them.
I just found a patch of them in Gladwin Michigan along a dirt road. They were white and pink.
I live in NewBrunswick Canada and there is a single pink lady slipper growing in the woods where we have our summer camp. I have put a rock border all around it so it can be easily seen and protected.
I have over 100 blooming plants on my 10 acres. One clump produces dozens of blooms. The yellow ones are also scattered around the property.
Where I lived in Taunton,MA was called Lady Slipper Grove..and we had tons of beautiful lady slippers in our backyard and then beyond that was the cranberry bogs. I remember being told never to pick the lady slippers when I was very little. It’s still my favorite flower to this day.
I’m from Southern NH and as a Child I spent a lot of time in and around Laconia NH… I remember when I was around 5 or 6 years old, I was playing outside with my 2 golden retriever dogs at my Aunt and Uncles house (I believe in or around Laconia NH) and they had a wooded backyard.. I was aloud to go in as long as I stayed close by and took the dogs with me… Anyway, I remember on that day was when I stumbled upon the very 1st lady slipper I had ever seen. It was amazing to my 5 or 6 yr old mind! I immediately wanted to pick it and bring it to my Aunt, but I was taught to always ask before picking flowers and/or plants because they could belong to someone, or be poisonous, or in this case endangered… So, I ran back to my Aunt and Uncles house and dragged my Aunt into the woods to excitedly show her what I found and asked if I could pick it for her… She immediately said, ” No Hunny, that is a special flower. It’s rare and needs to be protected.” I was sad, but also extremely excited about my find. We took a few photos and every time I visited my Aunt and Uncle after that, I’d go and check on my discovery… I saw your comment and this memory came to mind.. I just thought I’d share ????
As scouts, we went to our “town forest”, and one thing we did was to collect sticks to surround the lady slippers, like a fence, so they would not get trampled by hikers. I remember Lady Slippers being closer to the ground, not tall like these pictures, and I have always loved and respected them.
Oddly enough I grew up in Easton, near Taunton ???? First, I want to thank the Authoress, Ms. Wigglesworth (can’t believe no one noticed that!). Although we were in a sub-development close to North Easton Center and down the street from where all the schools now are, our backyard (and the woods beyond) seemed a microcosm of the protected and endangered plants it seemed. We had pale Indian Pipes in the backyard, Checkerberry, Lady Slippers and Princess Pine just beyond our back gate. And, not endangered, Sassafras springing up all over.
Down the end of the street, just before the then Oliver Ames HS (now the Junior High I think), were 2 good patches of native, low-bush blueberries growing wild under the pines. In the backyard (again) we had blackberries.
It was a great place to grow up and articles like this bring an aging man back to childhood. A lot of the plants I know are gone – but I wonder how many survive…and if I’ll ever get back to find out?
(from Hopkinsville, KY)
I do remember the beautiful lady slippers as I walked in the woods behind my house when I was a kid. I lived in Holliston, Massachusetts. My parents told me that it was illegal to pick the Lady slippers so we never did. I was sharing that information with my daughter today, I thought maybe it was just something grown-ups said!! Until I looked at this article and realized how true it is!!
My folks told me the same thing in the mid 50’s and not to pick them because it was outlawed. I lived in Coventry RI.
I just found about a dozen of these off of a trail on our property right by our driveway! We live in griswold CT and I am so excited to have them!
Just came across some of these beauties today at Vale Reservation in Andover, MA. 🙂
I have seen a couple in previous years but today I saw about 50, off a trail near Webster, Ma. Magical.
Just came across 5 of these all growing within a 3 ft radius. In my woods here in Michigan.
I’ve only seen single flowers in the past, so this was a delight to see
I just came across one flowering and one starting in my back yard. Never had them before.
My mom and I were walking around Walden Pond in Lexington, Massachusetts when we spotted a native plant that was absolutely gorgeous, unique, and funky! It was the pink lady slipper, we saw some all around the pond.
Just came across one on our property here in Suffolk county Long Island, NY our two year old wanted to pick it and I was nervous that it was poisonous or something because I have never see one before and they’re so unique looking. When we first bought our home the sellers told us about these special flowers that grew all over in the yard and we never saw one until today, very cool and special!
We saw one today in Rhode Island. There about a handful and so pretty!
Love these flowers! Discovered Shubie Park in Dartmouth Nova Scotia decades ago and every year make a point of going there to see the plentiful supply until early July. I think they’re amazing! On our walks in Cole Harbour we see a few of the pink-purple ones around the edges of forests. Love to see them in bunches and I wish the entire world was covered in lady slippers!
i grew up in MA and owned in Dartmouth, MA for 3 years now. In my backyard and behind my property, there are hundreds growing every spring. i want to pot a few up from my direct property. i have rattlesnake plantain from my property as well, 5 of them, potted and thriving (semi sun and hi moisture)
I don’t live in New England. I live in Bremen, Georgia, about fifty miles west of Atlanta. These grow in my woods as well! I love them, and I am amazed that they have such a long range of growth in our country.
My Mom was a scout leader in the 1950’s. One of the projects she lead was to find Ladyslippers in our town forest. They grew very low to the ground, and they were hard to see if covered or surrounded by leaves and debris. We located Lady slippers and surrounded them with sticks we collected to create a “fence” around them to warn people not to step on them. We even checked on them where we saw our stick circles when we were back in the woods. They are a precious wonder in nature.
I live in Whitman MA and my husband and I discovered some lady slippers in our back woods for the first time… Been living here 22 years. When I was younger and living in Carver back in the mid-70s there were lots of them in the woods across from my street. My parents always told us we could go to jail if we ever picked one… So needless to say we never picked one. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one in nature, so I was very thrilled to have some in my own backyard
When I was younger I had some growing in the back of our house in the woods and I was always told that we could get into trouble because they were endangered if we picked the lady slippers so we always left them alone. I don’t know if they are still there as my family moved away from that house. I’d love to see them grow in the woods behind my house now. I do see a lot of the pink Lady Slippers in the Rachel Carson National wildlife refuge in Wells Maine. I love them and love seeing them up there. I’ve always told my kids not to pick them because of them being endangered. So they’ve always left them alone too.
We lived in the Adirondacks and found Yellow lady slippers in our woods near an old maple grove. They seemed to spread, and more each year, but then we moved.. Do love them..
We have lady slippers in the woods right outside our house! I just checked on them over the weekend and they are popping out beautifully. I counted almost 30 in small grove of them! Love them!!!
Last year saw dozens in MA town park. This year very few, so far.
Pink Lady Slippers are not endangered and it is not illegal to transplant them although it is discouraged using the same kind of misinformation in this article. I have transplanted them twice and they always thrive. I never took more than two and left the rest in the forest. They are very hardy and make a great addition to your garden. You can also find them sold as bare root transplants .
Unfortunately as the article says, they don’t regenerate so if everyone picks ‘only two’ there won’t be any left in in that area.
Due to all the deforestation in the woods near Tiogue Elementary School in Coventry, scores of pink, purple, and some yellow Lady Slippers scattered throughout for generations, are now destroyed forever.
When I was a kid back in the 40’s we used to walk along the Indian Trail at Warner’s Pond in West Concord and we found beautiful Lady Slippers growing there. At hat time, we were advised not to pick them as they were considered to be an endangered species . As a child, it was hard to resist their magnificent beauty , but we did! Kathy
I moved onto my property 7 years ago, and found these pretty flowers – orchid like – growing beside some trees. I had never seen a flower like these. I had an app that will tell you what the plant is. Turns out I have several Lady Slippers growing year after year in the same spot. Never going to touch them, since I found out they are near extinction.
We live in Alcona, in Ontario – near Sioux Lookout. Each year there are a number of Lady Slippers growing in a somewhat open spot, but still in a forested area on our acreage. Pine trees, spruce trees and other types. Interesting to read others’ comments.
Growing up on the Cape in Massachusetts in the 80’s, I’d often see Lady Slippers in the woods in my neighborhood. My parents had always warned me to NEVER pick them, which of course made me slightly obsessed with spotting them, as they were rare, and picking them was forbidden, which truly fascinated my child-like mind. By the early to mid 90’s, I stopped seeing them and have not seen one since, although I wish I would. I am still so fascinated with these beauties, and have lived in both SE Virginia and Washington state and everyone in these states I’ve asked about Lady Slippers have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about. Makes for a great educational conversation though.
We had them in the woods behind our home in southern NH. My parents always told us to NEVER pick them. I never saw a groove of them. One or two. Most recently I saw one further north in the lakes region Carroll County in the memorial property my father purchased a a mature preserve. Hopefully they will propagate and spread throughout!!