Flower, usually solitary, is shaped like a Dutch shoe about 2 inches long. The sac-like toe part, formed by one of the 3 petals, is bright yellow with greenish sheen, the other 2 petals, much narrower, extend to the sides and are often twisted and streaked with brown. Plant is about 10 inches tall, with broad lance-shaped green leaves which enclose the lower part of the flower stem. Grows on moist but not wet slopes in montane zone. June.

In not too open aspen glades in middle elevations, a privileged seeker after beauty may find this yellow lady’s slipper, largest of our native orchids. It is one of several species of Cypripedium (the name meaning shoe of Venus) and is sometimes called moccasin flower. A smaller, daintier orchid, the pink Calypso bulbosa, is more widely known. This latter likes half sunny edges of our lodgepole forests, being quite dependent on the humic acid of the needles. Often in large groups along the remnants of a decayed tree trunk, they make an entrancing sight, resembling fairy dancers. These are but two of about a dozen orchids that grow wild in Colorado.