On a mini neighborhood nature walk this morning with Liv and Charlotte we happened upon the evocative Ghost Pipe (Monotropa uniflora), not a plant often seen growing on the side of the road. Ghost Pipe prefers rich woodsy conditions and can even grow in almost complete darkness. The diminutive wildflower is only about four to six inches tall. The flowers, stems, and leaves of the Ghost Pipe are white, occasionally flushed pink or may have black flecks on the leaves as in the photo below. The bell-shaped flowers remind me of blueberry flowers and the plant was once considered a member of the Ericaceae , or Blueberry Family. Ghost Pipe typically blooms June through September.

How does the Ghost Pipe grow without the green pigment chlorophyll? Chlorophyll harnesses the suns energy to produce carbohydrates (food) for the plant; the process known as photosynthesis. Instead, Ghost Pipes sap nutrients from tree roots through an intermediate source, myccorhizal fungi.

You can read more about Ghost Pipes here –

https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/beauty/mycotrophic/monotropa_uniflora.shtml

https://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/oct2002.html

One of our favorite poet’s, Emily Dickinson, favorite flowers