Rarest Orchid, Sego Lily, Rare White Thistle

I've waited a year to get back to Cascade Falls when this rare orchid, the giant helleborine, is blooming. In the Black Hills, C. Falls is the only place it blooms and fortunately I found the spot where it hides. It's very hard to see and easily overlooked among all the other plant life along the creek there. I got better photos this year than last!

I found the sego lily around Wind Cave Tues...there is also a Gunnison's mariposa lily, similar except the center looks different. The M. lily is a lot easier to find. Some botany books refer to them as the same lily, but my Botany Bible seperates them as two different lilies.

The wavyleaf thistle is normally purple; the white color is rare. I found a couple white ones on hwy. 71 on my way to Cascade Falls Tues., at the south end of the Black Hills. The only other place I've seen a white thistle is at Sylvan Lake.