The Queen's Slippers

Showy Lady-slippers are a protected Michigan wild flower. The Showy Lady’s Slipper is the largest and most impressive of the orchids found in Michigan. It should never be handled or dug up. This long-lived plant takes up to 15 years to mature and form flowers. 

Showy Lady-slippers (Cypripedium reginae) grows in wet areas throughout the state. Reginae means “of the queen.” The plants are two to three feet tall, with one to three, two-inch wide flowers. They are regal plants are one of only five native species of lady slippers in Michigan.