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Hi Angela & All, Apr 28, 2013
It was (and perhaps still is) illegal to pick Common Lady's Slipper =
(Cypripedium acaule) in parts of New England but the prohibition has no =
sound biological basis.=20
Under our conditions and in typical years only the most vigorous =
blossoms (roughly 1% of total blooms) will set fruit by natural =
pollination by Bees. But if hand pollinated at the right time (as I have =
described on NatureNS) nearly 100% of hand pollinated flowers will set =
fruit.=20
So one should avoid picking flowers that have unusually long scapes =
that spring from unusually large leaves and also avoid picking flowers =
near walkways. But if picking a few CLS flowers can trigger or reinforce =
someone's interest in and respect for the natural world then it is =
flowers well spent. The look but don't touch attitude will literally =
pave the road to hell.
Hand pollination briefly is as follows-- 1) examine a flower and =
identify the two small pollen bearing structures and the single =
stigmatic surface. 2) take a spent plastic ink tube from a ball-point =
pen (about 2.5 mm diam) to act as a transfer tool. 3) check a flower for =
developmental stage. If ready for hand pollination then a waxy pollen =
deposit will stick to the plastic when the tube side near the end is =
rolled against a pollen structure. 4) this waxy deposit can then be =
transferred to a stigmatic surface by rolling the tube as before. I take =
pollen from one blossom and transfer it to a second (as a precaution) =
but suspect this is unnecessary because the initial pollen source plant =
also frequently sets.5) If few plants are ready then wait a few days and =
try again. The scape persists overwinter so pollinated plants can be =
marked with flagging tape, tied low on the scape, with year and plant =
number printed by marking pen.
Apart from the 10 % or so that deer munch, and who can say whether =
or not they would have set, all of my hand-pollinated blossoms have set =
fruit.
Yt, Dave Webster Kentville
----- Original Message -----=20
From: AngelaJoudrey=20
To: naturens=20
Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 1:12 PM
Subject: [NatureNS] Lady Slippers
Someone recently told me it is illegal to pick them?
Angela in Windsor
--
"The significant problems of our time cannot be solved by the same =
level of thinking that created them."
Albert Einstein
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to =
the rest of the world."
John Muir=20
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2013.0.3272 / Virus Database: 3162/6279 - Release Date: =
04/28/13
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<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
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<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Hi Angela & All, =
=20
=
Apr=20
28, 2013</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2> It was (and perhaps still is) =
illegal to=20
pick Common Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium acaule) in parts of =
New=20
England but the prohibition has no sound biological basis. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2> Under our conditions and in =
typical years=20
only the most vigorous blossoms (roughly 1% of total blooms) will set =
fruit by=20
natural pollination by Bees. But if hand pollinated at the right time =
(as I have=20
described on NatureNS) nearly 100% of hand pollinated flowers will set =
fruit.=20
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2> So one should avoid =
picking=20
flowers that have unusually long scapes that spring from =
unusually=20
large leaves and also avoid picking flowers near walkways. But if =
picking a few=20
CLS flowers can trigger or reinforce someone's interest in and respect =
for the=20
natural world then it is flowers well spent. The look but don't touch =
attitude=20
will literally pave the road to hell.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2> Hand pollination briefly is as=20
follows-- 1) examine a flower and identify the two small pollen =
bearing=20
structures and the single stigmatic surface. 2) take a spent =
plastic ink=20
tube from a ball-point pen (about 2.5 mm diam) to act as a transfer =
tool. 3)=20
check a flower for developmental stage. If ready for hand =
pollination=20
then a waxy pollen deposit will stick to the plastic when the tube side =
near the=20
end is rolled against a pollen structure. 4) this waxy deposit can then =
be=20
transferred to a stigmatic surface by rolling the tube as before. I take =
pollen=20
from one blossom and transfer it to a second (as a precaution) but =
suspect this=20
is unnecessary because the initial pollen source plant also frequently =
sets.5)=20
If few plants are ready then wait a few days and try again. The scape =
persists=20
overwinter so pollinated plants can be marked with flagging tape, tied =
low on=20
the scape, with year and plant number printed by marking=20
pen.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2> Apart from the 10 % or so that =
deer munch,=20
and who can say whether or not they would have set, all of my =
hand-pollinated=20
blossoms have set fruit.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Yt, Dave Webster Kentville</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; =
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"=20
dir=3Dltr>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
<A title=3Daljoudrey@eastlink.ca=20
href=3D"mailto:aljoudrey@eastlink.ca">AngelaJoudrey</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=3Dnaturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, April 28, 2013 =
1:12=20
PM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [NatureNS] Lady =
Slippers</DIV>