A rare orchid thought to be extinct in Vermont was rediscovered after 120 years
A rare orchid thought to be extinct in Vermont was rediscovered after 120 years
The small whorled pogonia, thought to be extinct in Vermont for 120 years, was rediscovered by an amateur naturalist. (Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department)
The small whorled pogonia, a federally threatened species of orchid, has been rediscovered in Vermont -- 120 years after the plant was last spotted in the state.
The plant was last documented in Vermont in 1902, Aaron Marcus, an assistant botanist at Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, told CNN. Naturalists had searched extensively for the small whorled pogonia in Vermont but come up empty-handed.
The small whorled pogonia is "one of the rarest orchid species east of the Mississippi," said Marcus. The rarity of the species may have to do with its dependence on fungi in the environment, a relationship that is still little understood by scientists.
"One thing that's really cool about our orchid species is that most of them are really, really dependent on fungal species, species we can't see underground, connected to our root system, which makes it so hard for us to understand orchids and what they need," Marcus.
The last known documentation of a small whorled pogonia in Vermont was a photograph of a plant that had been dug up and placed in a flower pot, Marcus said.
The discovery of an outcropping of the plant in Vermont is "a really great and exciting bright light," said Marcus. The population is "perhaps the most northerly population in the whole range of small whorled pogonia," which are found in southern Maine south to Georgia and west to southern Ontario, Michigan, and Tennessee.
The orchids are threatened by climate change, habitat loss, and collection or trampling by humans.
Marcus explained that the population of small whorled pogonias in Vermont was discovered by a retired greenhouse manager who posted pictures of the orchid to iNaturalist, an online platform for amateur naturalists to identify plants and animals around them. Then Marcus and Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department Botanist Bob Popp visited the site and confirmed it was indeed a small whorled pogonia on May 25. The department made the discovery public in a news release published on June 8th.
"It was very exciting" to discover the orchid, said Marcus.
The "most important thing is to protect the plants where they are," Marcus added. "That's really our first priority, for them to be able to thrive in place." The plants are located on publicly protected lands in Winooski Valley Park District, and the department is keeping their exact location a secret to ward off would-be collectors.
For Marcus, the discovery is an "incredible and humbling" reminder of how much scientists have left to learn about the natural world. "There's more to find out there," Marcus said. "There's so much right in our backyards that we just don't know, or that we once knew and we need to relearn."
Botanist Bob Popp shared Marcus' excitement at the "amazing find."
"Things like that don't happen that often," Popp told CNN. "I've been in my position for 32 years, and more often than not I'm documenting the decline of species," he said. "Things going the other direction -- it's just phenomenal."
Going forward, Popp said his team members hope to monitor the population. They found evidence of damage from slugs on some of the plants, and the orchids may also face threats from browsing by animals like deer.
Popp also emphasized the importance of naturalists "reporting what they see" in the outdoors. "There's no substitute for eyes and ears in the woods," he said.
While the RCMP says its use of spyware is lawful, there is 'no doubt' the covert collection by police of personal and other information from Canadians' devices 'is an extremely intrusive practice,' says former privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien. 'What's at play is the balancing of privacy and other public interests,' Therrien said Tuesday.
For the first time in eight years, Canadian warships are not involved in either of two NATO naval task forces charged with patrolling European waters and defending against Russian threats.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday tried to turn the news of an FBI search of his Florida estate to his benefit, citing the investigation in text messages and emails soliciting political donations from his supporters.
Two new features being introduced on WhatsApp, which will let you choose who can see when you're active, and to leave groups silently, will start rolling out to all WhatsApp users this month.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed a US$280 billion bipartisan bill to boost domestic high-tech manufacturing, part of his administration's push to boost U.S. competitiveness over China.
A massive effort began Tuesday to transport food to the southern Newfoundland communities that had been cut off for days from the rest of the island because of raging wildfires.
As the doctor wait list hits 74,000 in New Brunswick, one woman is turning to social media with her pitch to try to find a replacement after losing her own doctor.
Federal prosecutors in the United States have accused a Saskatoon woman of faking her own death and that of her son in what they describe as an elaborate scheme to illegally enter the country.
Taiwan warned Tuesday that Chinese military drills aren't just a rehearsal for an invasion of the self-governing island but also reflect ambitions to control large swaths of the western Pacific, as Taipei conducted its own exercises to underscore it's ready to defend itself.
Israeli troops killed three Palestinian militants and wounded dozens in a shootout that erupted during an arrest raid in the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday.
A suicide bomber targeted a security convoy in a former Pakistani Taliban stronghold in northwestern Pakistan, killing four soldiers, officials said Tuesday.
Flames engulfed a fourth tank at an oil storage facility in western Cuba on Tuesday as the raging fire consumes critical fuel supplies on an island grappling with a growing energy crisis.
The leader of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group issued a warning Tuesday to archenemy Israel over the two countries' maritime border dispute, saying that "any arm" that reaches to steal Lebanon's wealth 'will be cut off.'
Hundreds of Sri Lankans on Tuesday rallied against a government crackdown and the use of emergency laws against peaceful protesters demanding answers to the country's worst economic crisis.
While the RCMP says its use of spyware is lawful, there is 'no doubt' the covert collection by police of personal and other information from Canadians' devices 'is an extremely intrusive practice,' says former privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien. 'What's at play is the balancing of privacy and other public interests,' Therrien said Tuesday.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and senior RCMP officers are defending the national police force's years-long and previously undisclosed use of spyware—capable of remotely accessing cell phone and computer microphones, cameras and other data—as part of dozens of major investigations.
The Biden administration is preparing to move forward with a plan to stretch the limited supply of monkeypox vaccine doses that would allow providers to use one-fifth as much per shot, two people familiar with the plans said.
As the doctor wait list hits 74,000 in New Brunswick, one woman is turning to social media with her pitch to try to find a replacement after losing her own doctor.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed a US$280 billion bipartisan bill to boost domestic high-tech manufacturing, part of his administration's push to boost U.S. competitiveness over China.
Two new features being introduced on WhatsApp, which will let you choose who can see when you're active, and to leave groups silently, will start rolling out to all WhatsApp users this month.
Although she is best known for her role as Sandy in the blockbuster musical 'Grease,' Olivia Newton-John, who died at the age of 73, had a career that extended far beyond the dramas of Rydell High.
Socially conscious rockers The Tragically Hip, eminent broadcaster Barbara Frum and music video visionary Director X are among the homegrown icons set to be inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.
Several countries in Europe dependent on Russian energy suffered another blow with confirmation Tuesday that oil shipments have stopped through a critical pipeline.
Hoping to bring some mustard home from France? It might actually be the last place you'll find some at the moment. France's most famous condiment is running out, and there is no sign of its return to the shelves.
Issey Miyake, the Japanese fashion designer whose timeless pleats made him an industry favorite, has died aged 84. He died of cancer on August 5, his office confirmed to CNN on Tuesday.
Bicycles have long been a means of transport in China and once outnumbered cars on city streets. Now cycling is increasingly also seen as a sport by an urban middle class that has benefited from China's growth into the world's second largest economy.
A Metro Vancouver shelter held what it called a 'pity party' for a dog who's been waiting to be adopted for more than a year - the first dog at the facility to wait that long in about even years.
Unlike in the NBA, WNBA teams aren't permitted to use charter planes for travel. And, much like other airline passengers flying commercial these days, that has caused headaches for WNBA teams in the midst of travel.
Bolivia's decision to open an alternate route to its historic 'Death Road' - a serpentine dirt path across the towering Andes hills known for its deadly cliffs - has led to a resurgence of wildlife in the area, according to an environmental group.
Bicycles have long been a means of transport in China and once outnumbered cars on city streets. Now cycling is increasingly also seen as a sport by an urban middle class that has benefited from China's growth into the world's second largest economy.
The new plan to encourage Americans to buy more electric vehicles built in North America, instead of just the United States, has cleared its tallest hurdle, and for the Canadian auto industry, the stakes are enormous.
The small whorled pogonia, thought to be extinct in Vermont for 120 years, was rediscovered by an amateur naturalist. (Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department)
