White Bog Orchid
The white bog orchid, as its name suggests, grows in bogs, stream beds, and marshes in Canada and the United States. A member of the orchid family, its primary characteristic is the small, clustered white flowers that grow abundantly in the summer.
There are three variations of the white bog orchid based on the shape and length of the spur. Some orchids have as many as 100 flowers on the sturdy stalk. The orchid can grow between 6 inches and 3 feet, depending on location and variety, and flourishes in sunny areas. Some orchids have as many as 100 flowers on the sturdy stalk.
A perennial flower, which grows in the exact location over many years, the white bog orchid has a fragrant, sugary scent that attracts pollinators. The orchid, which is a native species, has also been called a bog candle given its long stem that resembles a pillar candle.
What do you love about this particular creature?
What do they reveal to you about God and our faith?
Reflecting on the white bog orchid invites us to consider the powerful imagery found in God’s creation. Upon meditation on the upright, strong stalk flowing with white flowers, one can envision the white pillar candle lit at Easter, a sign of the Resurrection.
Bogs and marshes, often thought of as places of darkness, stillness, and empty of life, are in actuality filled with abundant water that gives birth to this luminous orchid. The promise of new life and new creation in the bountiful flowers mirrors that Hope projected in the Paschal candle.
Seeds from the stalk propagate new flowers, spreading this Light of glory into new and wondrous areas of bogs and marshes. Pollinators are fed by the orchid to sustain their own lives and to share their bounty with other creatures and plants, spreading God’s goodness throughout Creation.
God’s gracious, abundant gift of renewal helps this perennial flower to shine forth year after year, a parallel of our witness to faith and hope in God’s wondrous creation and love.
Author - The Rev. Stephanie Johnson
Stephanie is the author of "How Can I Care for Creation," a little book of guidance from Church Publishing and the former chair of the Episcopal Church's Task Force on the Care of Creation and Environmental Racism. She lives in Connecticut near the Long Island shoreline.
God of moss and mountains, thank you for the diversity of creatures that praise you by their being. May we likewise show forth your glory with our bodies, hearts, and lives, in the name of your Son Jesus, the firstborn of Creation. Amen.
Prayer by Rev. Rachel Field