Purple-Fringed Orchid (Platanthera psycodes) is a stunning Smoky Mtns wildflower that favors the higher elevations. This is actually the Lesser Purple-Fringed Orchid, which grows 12 to 20 inches tall. The Greater version grows in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and grows to nearly 5 feet tall!
Platanthera psycodes is a rare wildflower in the Smokies, but in June and July you will often spot it around Clingmans Dome, where the photos on this page were taken.
The William Britten Gallery along the historic Arts and Crafts Trail on Glades Rd in Gatlinburg, TN features my complete display of Smoky Mountains photos. Please stop in for a visit and see if there may be a Smokies memory there for you to take home!
Also, if you are a wildflower enthusiast, please join my Smoky Mtns Wildflowers Community on Facebook. We trade photos and tips on bloom locations.