Species Name: Calopogon tuberosus variety tuberosus. Calopogan is derived from the Greek words kalos "beautiful" and pogon "beard".

Range: Populations of this variety of the tuberosus species are native to North America in an area bounded by Minnesota, east to Newfoundland, south to Florida, and west to Texas.

Habitat: The common grass-pink prefers wet meadows, bogs, pine flatwoods and sphagnous roadsides.

Description: Largest of the five Calopogon species, this 10 to 30 inches tall orchid is terrestrial and has 1 to 5 slender, ribbed leaves. During the flowering season, the plant is adorned by 3 to 25 successively opening, faintly fragrant flowers that measure 1 to 1.5 inches wide. Flower color ranges from deep pink to white with a golden crest on the lip. Plants flower over an extended period of time with only a few flowers open at once.

Flowering Period: The common grass-pink flowers from March in southern Florida to August in the north.

Pollination: Calopogon appears to exhibit deceit pollination. The bristles on the lip of the flower resemble anthers and attract pollinating bumblebees. Expecting a reward of nectar and/or pollen, bees land on the bristles. The weight of the bee causes the lip to fall, dropping the pollinator backwards onto the column where pollen can be placed on its back. If the bee already carries pollen, it will contact the stigma and thus pollinate the plant.

Related Species: The Calopogon genus consists of five species, only one of which occurs outside North America.

• Simpson's grass-pink, Calopogon tuberosus simpsonii, inhabits open marls and rocky prairies in the Bahamas, Cuba and the southern counties of Florida. This variety grows taller than the common grass-pink, has very slender leaves and blooms from late December through June.
• The endangered many-flowered grass-pink, Calopogon multiflorus, inhabits damp meadows and pine flatwoods in its range from Georgia to Florida and west to Mississippi. It is a fire-respondent species and often does not flower until a few weeks following a spring burn. The 5 to 15, bright magenta flowers open simultaneously and are very fragrant.
• Bearded grass-pink, Calopogon barbatus, ranges from North Carolina south to Florida and west to Louisiana and favor the same type of habitat as the common grass-pink. With a flowering period from late March through late April, it is the earliest grass-pink to flower. It is similar to the many-flowered grass-pink but can be distinguished by the shape of the petals that are wider below the middle and its lack of fragrance.
• Pale grass-pink, Calopogon pallidus, is second in abundance to the common grass-pink and is widespread throughout the eastern United States. It is often found growing with other species of grass-pinks. The distinctive upward-curved sepals make it easy to identify. Flowers are faintly fragrant with color ranging from white to a rich, deep magenta.
• Prairie grass-pink, Calopogon oklahomensis can be found in the southeastern and central states of the United States and prefers mesic, acidic, sandy to loamy prairies, pine savannas, oak woodlands, edges of bogs, and frequently mowed meadows. Its 2 to 7 fragrant flowers open nearly simultaneously between March and July. Color ranges from magenta, pink, to white.

Identification: The brilliant, showy common grass-pink orchid is one of the most frequently encountered orchids in eastern and central United States and Canada. As in other Calopogons, the flowers of the common grass-pink have the lip uppermost, nonresupinate, and this feature easily separates the genus from any other with similar appearance.

Advice on Finding and Photographing: Check with your local orchid or botanical society for common grass-pink locations near you. Search the internet for parks, botanical gardens, herbaria and arboreta that may have grass-pinks in their collections.

The habitat that the common grass-pink favors can provide the opportunity to photograph a wide variety of additional plant and animal species. The images included here were taken along the Pitcher Plant Trail in the Big Thicket National Preserve about 7 miles east of Warren, Texas. Several species of carnivorous plants, including the namesake pitcher plant, inhabit this area along with woodpeckers, warblers and a variety of insects and spiders.

Slightly overcast skies and calm winds are ideal conditions for photographing flowers. A close-up lens is typically used and the camera aperture is reduced to achieve suitable depth of field. Therefore, using a tripod is imperative for obtaining sharp image detail.

Sources:

• Brown, P M, 2002, Wild Orchids of Florida: With References to the Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plain, University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
• 'Calopogon', Flora of North America, viewed 30 March 2005, http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1& taxon_id=105213

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