Photo of the day: Lady’s slipper

When I was a kid, my mom would take us outside and have us count the number of pink lady’s-slippers growing among the trees around our New Hampshire home. She told us that they were protected and we needed to report our numbers to the state.  I don’t know if this is something she made up to keep us busy for a while, but it certainly left me with a sense of awe and respect for the delicate looking flowers that brightened up our woods.