Adkins Mystery Monday: It Grows on Logs

Happy Mystery Monday! Last week we highlighted one of our native orchids, the cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor). This orchid produces evergreen leaves with purple undersides in fall and winter. In spring, the leaves senesce before blooming in the summer. While similar in appearance to the putty-root orchid (Aplectrum hyemale), the purple leaf spots are unique to the cranefly orchid. Also, did you know cranefly orchids are pollinated by moths?

For this week, we are staying in the forest and ask you, what is this? It is growing on a log and is about 5 inches wide