Pink lady slipper in a New Hampshire wooded yard (Cypripedium acaule) official state wildflower of New Hampshire. Photo by BEV Norton / Flickr (noncommercial use permitted with attribution/no derivative works).
Official State Wildflower of New Hampshire
The pink lady's slipper (Cypripedium acaule) was designated the official state wildflower of New Hampshire in 1991 (purple lilac is the state flower, adopted in 1919). The lady's slipper is a unique member of the orchid family, a showy wildflower native to North America (also called moccasin flower, or simply lady slipper). All State Flowers
The lady's slipper is protected in some areas - its numbers have been greatly reduced due to loss of habitat (much of the moist, rich soil it prefers has been converted to agriculture).
Also, since the lady's slipper is one of the more eye-catching wildflowers of the northeast, transplanting attempts have taken a significant toll on their numbers (transplanting nearly always fails because the lady's slipper has a symbiotic relationship with a certain fungus in the forest).
A reminder to all forest visitors - tred lightly - take home only photos and memories - preserve the delicate ecology of our dwindling woods.
