Indian Pipes, Monotropa uniflora L., at 55 Burdick Hill Rd, Ithaca NY, USA

2005
There were many. In the same spots that are coming now (14 July 2007). The 2007 crop is substantially more abundant already.

2006
There were a few small groups and singles but only one cluster of more than three, pictured.

2007
As of now, 7 July, there are ca. ten clusters of a dozen or more. And two with more than twenty!, clusters St.Helens and Grande. The first emerging nubbins were spotted in early June, cluster Premiere. Cluster Annee06 is so named because it's in the same place as the main 2006 cluster.

• 1 July
• 7 July
• 8 July   There was some rain and warmer weather. They're coming fast now. Four new clusters, and singles everywhere. Still mostly in the Overview area but other spots too. Annee06 has at least thirty now!
• 10 July   Stems are beginning to emerge. Just found Rouge!
• 12 July   Stems are elongating. Many new plants are popping up through the leaf litter, especially downhill in the Rouge area. Not clusters, just singles and twos and threes. It's getting hard to find a place to stand.
  Though growth is the rule, some plants aren't progressing. Compare cluster Noir on 1 July vs. 10 July.
• 14 July   Rouge continues to be magical. The plants are large enough now to take more overview pictures for spatial context, e.g. St.Helens vs. Grande.
• 16 July   Some plants are 5 cm tall, half their mature height. New ones continue to appear, including a cluster of six that's a bit outside the previous range.
• 18 July   A new area found, Nord-ouest.
• 20 July   The place is exploding, erupting.
• 21 July   Is the Noir cluster dying? See St. Helens today!
• 24 July   Just found Rouge2!   St. Helens has been damaged.
• 26 July   Petals are being shed, revealing the internal flower parts as they ripen.
• 28 July   The flowers/fruits continue to ripen. Damaged plants continue to be found.
• 30 July   Rouge has been decapitated. Noir is quite dead.
• 1 August   Another decapitation, and a new area.
• 5 August   Maturation phase. Pollination has happened so they don't need to be attractive now, just set fruit and seed.
• 11 August   Ripening continues.
• 19 August   Seeds are being set, as the vegetative parts senesce.
• 26 August   Ripening continues, slowly.
• 8 September   Fully mature.

"Time-lapse" photos   Sequences of development of each cluster.

The environment
Mature forest in upstate New York, situated between two small gorges. Maple, oak, pine, hickory, other. Trillium, trout lily, may apple, bloodroot, solomon's seal (both), wild strawberry, cinquefoil, grasses, moss, mushrooms. Being threatened by garlic mustard. The total area containing Indian Pipes is ca. 30 meters square, in a 100x larger area of similar vegetation.

Orientation
The Rouge area is at the northwest, downhill corner of the overall area of Indian Pipes, and the Overview area is at the opposite corner.

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Photos by Dave Matthews. Unrestricted rights granted on request.