Phantom Orchids at Teapot Hill
Trip Report by Vicky Earle
On June 17, I joined trip leader Kelly Sekhon for a hike up Teapot Hill near Cultus Lake in search of the rare phantom orchid. This plant is globally secure but is listed as red/endangered in British Columbia. The phantom orchid (Cephalanthera austiniae) is the only Cephalanthera species entirely dependent on symbiotic mycorrhizae for its nutrition. Being an entirely white perennial with only a small yellow gland on the lip of each blossom, this plant has no chlorophyll and is unable to produce energy for itself. Phantom orchids can also be quite elusive as they do not necessarily appear every year nor in the same location. Fingers were crossed for luck.
Early in the hike, we were greeted by a Satyr Comma butterfly (Polygonia satyrus). Nettles are the host plant for its caterpillars, while the adults feed on tree sap, rotting fruit, and flower nectar including that from blackberry. A variety of ferns, moss-ladened second growth red cedars and native tiger lilies were among the groves of mixed deciduous and coniferous trees along much of the trail.
Then, in between the 1st and 2nd lookout points, success! Not far off the trail, Kelly first spotted four orchids. As we kept searching, we tallied a total of twenty! Some were simply jutting through the dry leaf litter on the forest floor, while others were growing near Oregon grape, vanilla leaf and fallen decaying branches. Topping off the day, phantoms were not the only orchids we spotted. Goodyera oblongifolia is a species of orchid also known by the common name western rattlesnake plantain. Although not in blossom, it was a great find.
We only saw a single American Robin along the trail but we heard the calls and songs of Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Brown Creeper, Pacific Wren, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, and Western Tanager.
Teapot Hill first got its name back in the 1940s, when a logger discovered a teapot on the hill. In recent years, other teapots have mysteriously appeared throughout the woods on moss-covered stumps, nestled in rock alcoves and tucked among tree roots. Most impressive was a massive artist conk bracket (Ganoderma applanatum) the size of a small table that served as a perch for a quince decorated teapot.
