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When I first saw this blossom, I was mesmerized by its colours and the intricate shape of its blossoms. I wanted to create a painting to share this tiny jewel with a wider audience. Calypso is a genus of orchids containing only one species: Calypso bulbosa. Standing 4 inches tall with flowers measuring less than 1 inch in length, it is also known as the Fairy slipper and Venus's slipper. This orchid relies on "pollination by deception". It attracts insects – often bumblebees – with a sweet scent, but produces no nectar as a reward.
This species' range is circumpolar including most of Canada, the northern United States, Scandinavia, Europe, Russia and Asia. Although the calypso orchid's distribution is wide, it is very susceptible to disturbance, and is therefore classified as threatened or endangered in several U. S. states and in Sweden and Finland. It does not transplant well owing to its mycorrhizal dependence on specific soil fungi. Plants live no more than five years in mountain forests. The corms have been used as a food source by North American native peoples. The Thompson River Indians of British Columbia used it as a treatment for mild epilepsy.
