By Stan Tekiela
In the natural world, I really admire the rule breakers. You know, the species of plant or animal that just doesn’t fit the pigeon-hole that we people have dug for them and want them to fit nicely into. I like the species that go against the preconceived ideas we have set forth for the species. Recently while doing some gardening in my large perennial flower garden, which by the way is in my front yard not backyard like most people, I found a large orchid plant. I know all the plants in my garden so when I saw this orchid it stopped me in my tracks because I know I didn’t plant it.
I think everyone understands that orchids are highly prized and specialized plants for their finicky nature and large, interesting flowers. We have about 200 species of orchid in the United States and about 28,000 species of orchids around the world. With that in mind, how many species of orchids grow in your own garden? I am guessing none, so that is why when I spotted this orchid in my garden it really caused me to stop. Turns out that the orchid growing in my garden is called Broad-leaved Helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) and has been sweeping across North America. So here is a world class rule breaker, because it’s an orchid that is a non-native plant that is in some places is considered an invasive species. That is crazy that a kind of orchid grows and acts like a weed and invades our gardens and yards.
Recently while driving across the back roads of South Dakota on my way to Wyoming, I came across another fabulous rule breaker. In these wide-open expansive areas, I started to see a tall, long-legged bird standing on wooden fence posts. When you first see this bird, it looks like a shorebird. You know, the kind of bird you see at seashores with long legs for wading into the surf. But there are no large bodies of water in the prairie of South Dakota. This bird looks so out of place.