Species PlantsPrairie White Fringed Orchid

Prairie White Fringed Orchid

Platanthera leucophaea

RarePlant
Illustration of Prairie White Fringed Orchid (Platanthera leucophaea)

Prairie White Fringed Orchid is a federally threatened native orchid of moist prairies, sedge meadows, and wet calcareous shores across the Midwest. Its fragrant white flowers with fringed petals are pollinated almost exclusively by hawkmoths. Most populations have disappeared with the destruction of wet prairie habitat.

Habitat
Wet-mesic prairies and calcareous sedge meadows of the upper Midwest
Diet
Flowers exclusively pollinated by hawkmoths
How common
Rare

Best time to see a Prairie White Fringed Orchid

The best time to see a Prairie White Fringed Orchid is June–July, when about 98% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 570 research-grade iNaturalist observations.

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