The western prairie fringed orchid is a rare flowering plant that has declined due to loss of its native prairie habitat
— On a remote tallgrass prairie in North Dakota, a secretive orchid pokes up from the ground. You’ll only find it if you know where to look.
The striking, bright white blooms of the western prairie fringed orchid are elusive to fans who try to catch a glimpse — and as a threatened species protected by the federal Endangered Species Act, it is also a puzzle for researchers trying to learn more about the orchid’s reproduction and role in its ecosystem.
Loss of its native prairie habitat has threatened the orchid. About 60% of native orchids in the U.S. and Canada are rapidly disappearing due to climate change, habitat loss and pollinator declines, said Julianne McGuinness, program development coordinator for the North American Orchid Conservation Center. Those showy, flowering plants beloved for their beauty can be an early indicator of decline occurring unnoticed in its environment.
“They’re sort of like the canary in the coal mine for the rest of our ecosystems,” McGuinness said.
Graduate students from North Dakota State University in Fargo are hoping to learn more about the pollinators and reproduction of the western prairie fringed orchid. Their work includes logging the GPS coordinates of orchids at 20 various sites in Minnesota, North Dakota and Manitoba, Canada, swabbing orchids for tiny amounts of genetic material from insects, and attracting pollinating insects at night with blacklights and sheets.
Years ago, Steve Travers, an associate professor at the university’s Department of Biological Sciences, was fascinated to learn about the orchid — “these big, beautiful, 2-foot tall, ginormous, gorgeous things that were pollinated at night.”
“I have a hell of a hard time finding it sometimes,” he said.
