Naturally Speaking

Fortunate is a person who has an occasion to see an orchid flower of any color. They are usually rare plants and should be left alone regardless of the kind of protected status they have been given by the state.
The yellow lady's-slipper orchid is described as rare to locally frequent in moist prairies, conifer swamps and upland forests. This plant, with its several varieties, is a Wisconsin plant of special concern, meaning it may need additional protection such as being classified threatened or endangered in the future.
Occasionally one of these yellow lady's slipper plants is growing in the best of habitat conditions to prosper for decades. Such a specimen was pointed out recently when it displayed about 70 blooms on a single plant. There is incomplete knowledge as to how long this plant has been growing in this ideal location. The best guess is 30-40 years.
A similar orchid, the showy lady's-slipper, with a white and pink lip (pouch or slipper), is Minnesota's state flower. Wisconsin's state flower is the wood violet.
Many orchids have special growth needs, most of which are not understood, suggesting attempts to move them is rarely successful and could be illegal.