A rare beauty, the multiflowered grass pink (Calopogon multifloris), numbers among one of the rarest orchids in North America and is considered critically imperiled in its native habitat has been identified on the refuge. This delicate beauty depends on the awesome power of fire, which we manage through our prescribed firing program, to survive! This orchid needs fire (in the mid to late dormant season) to bloom - generally blooming 5 weeks after a burn moves through the area. It is truly a fire-adapted species! The population of the multiflowered grass pink orchid on the refuge is one of the largest outside of the state of Florida. Thanks to Dr. Bill Summerour, retired biology professor, Erin Dodd, and super volunteers Lauren and Kim McLaurin for work on the orchid survey. The refuge uses prescribed firing to retain and restore the wet pine savanna habitat, which many species, from orchids to cranes, depend on for survival.
A Rare Beauty Seen at Mississippi Sandhill Crane NWR: The Multiflowered grass-pink orchid
