Corallorhiza trifida (Early Coralroot)

From Mount Rainier National Park:

One of the most exciting moments in a naturalist's career is the discovery of a species they have not observed before. According to the experts, Corallorhiza trifida (Early Coralroot) is "rare at Mount Rainier....circumboreal, but is uncommon here in the northwest and recorded a couple of times apparently at the mountain...A terrific find!" Even more exciting for me is the fact that this rare Corallorhiza is also a partial mycoheterotroph, a highly specialized group of plants. I believe our mild winter may have allowed the mycorrhizal components of many mycoheterotrophic species to proliferate, thus bringing to the surface a greater number and variety of plants than we'd see in a normal year. ~cv