Mountain lady slipper - they only bloom for a short while - in Kelowna now.

Mountain Lady slipper - I photographed this with my iPhone at Mission Creek Park.

I have seen lady slippers before, but never in Canada.  Imagine my surprise when I saw hundreds of them along the trail in Mission Creek Park in Kelowna.  The last lady slipper I photographed was when I was shooting slide film and my kids were in their early teens.

The blooms of the plant last for a mere 7-14 days.  I saw them yesterday (May 11, 2026) in Kelowna and expect that most of them will be finished sometime next week.  

Lady slippers are a type of orchid.  There are about 40 different species of native orchids in BC, the most of any province in Canada.  Although it is not illegal to pick them, it is strongly discouraged.  The plants are easily damaged.  Transplanting them typically fails.  

I do very few blogs on plants as my main interest is in animal life of all types and of course all aspects of photography.  However, I make an exception for these because they are so very special.  It was awesome to see them.  Have a look, before they are gone for another year.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com

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