OutdoorNebraska

3 N ot particularly boastful in size or color, the Ute ladies'-tresses orchid (Spiranthes diluvialis) is a rare plant that was hiding in plain sight for over 100 years before its uniqueness as a species was finally recognized. Although this orchid was first collected in 1856, it was not determined to be a species distinct from its look-alike cousins until 1984. This summer, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission botanist Gerry Steinauer and I had the chance to reassess Nebraska's population of this state and federally threatened orchid species. Our surveys, partially funded by the Nebraska Wildlife Conservation Fund, took us to the Niobrara River valley in Sioux County where it grows in moist, alkaline meadows. The tiny white orchid hadn't really been on my radar until a chance encounter with a local rancher. While on a site visit for non-orchid business, he mentioned that his meadow was home to the Ute ladies'-tresses. My excitement was obvious and our orchid conversations continued. Eventually, our shared enthusiasm for the plant and for its conservation resulted in the rancher moving his cattle off the meadow in early summer so that we could survey for the late-blooming orchid this past August. After two years of drought and over a decade since the last survey, Steinauer and I weren't sure what we would discover upon surveying the orchid populations located on two adjacent ranches. Fortunately, we found f lowering plants at both sites. We counted 898 blooming orchids in total and recorded GPS points for each. Though the total number of flowering Ute ladies'-tresses found this year is a steep decline from the thousands recorded in 1997, one of the ranches did show an increase in the number of orchids since 2010. The subirrigated, floodplain meadows in which the orchid grows are a rare commodity in the Panhandle and lend themselves to higher forage production for livestock and crop production than the uplands. Threats to the orchid include conversion of meadows to cropland, reduced stream flows and groundwater levels, timing of grazing or haying, and invasion of non-native grasses. While Nebraska's Ute ladies'-tresses populations have declined since their discovery in 1996, there is still hope for the species' survival in our state. Like many of Nebraska's rare species, the survival of the Ute ladies'-tresses will depend in large part on finding common ground between the needs of the species and the needs of producers. Luckily, for the orchid, that common ground exists. Spring and early summer grazing and haying reduces competition with grasses for the orchid and does not interfere with its flowering and seed set, whereas late summer haying and grazing can lead to the orchid's decline. My goal is to work with the ranchers whose properties contain the orchid to find management practices that benefit the orchid without hurting the ranchers' bottom line. Cooperation between producers and conservationists will be key to preserving Nebraska's rich biodiversity. A Survey for the Rare Ute Ladies'-Tresses Orchid By Chelsea Forehead, Private Lands Wildlife Biologist, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies A Ute ladies'-tresses orchid in bloom in Sioux County, Nebraska. CHELSEA FOREHEAD Bird Conservancy biologist Chelsea Forehead and rancher Jory Geiser pause to record GPS points of an orchid on his ranch. GERRY STEINAUER

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