The Box Huckleberry Natural Area in New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania has more than one special plant flowering in April.
The Box Huckleberry, Gaylussacia brachycera, continues to bloom with many white, bell-shaped blossoms opening up to the warmth of the day.
![box-huckleberry-blooms Evergreen oval leaves and white blooms of Box Huckleberry.](https://wildeherb.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/box-huckleberry-blooms-300x249.jpg)
White blueberry-like flowers on the New Bloomfield Box Huckleberry.
The huckleberry blooms are pink in the bud stage and white as they mature.
![box-huckleberry-blooms25 Box huckleberry flowers in white and pink.](https://wildeherb.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/box-huckleberry-blooms25-300x247.jpg)
![box-huckleberry-blooms2 The oldest blooms have fallen away while others still flower.](https://wildeherb.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/box-huckleberry-blooms2-300x279.jpg)
They don’t all bloom at once. Note in the image above, taken 18 April 2010, that several blossoms have already fallen away, yet there are still many flowers blooming.
![box-huckleberry-blooms3 Lots of fresh huckleberry flowers at the tips of the stems.](https://wildeherb.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/box-huckleberry-blooms3-300x250.jpg)
![box-huckleberry-blooms4 Mass blooming of box huckleberry plant.](https://wildeherb.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/box-huckleberry-blooms4-300x246.jpg)
A couple weeks later, 30 April 2010, there were still a few flowering huckleberries, but most had already flowered. Little green berries could be seen at the tips on some stems.
![box-huckleberry-green-berry Flowers and tiny green berries of box huckleberry.](https://wildeherb.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/box-huckleberry-green-berry-300x279.jpg)
Green huckleberries at the tip of the stem show that these blossoms flowered first, even though the plant is still flowering further up the stem. (Photo taken 30 April 2010.)
![box-huckleberry-growth The Box Huckleberry propagates via growth of lateral shoots.](https://wildeherb.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/box-huckleberry-growth-300x265.jpg)
Huckleberry new growth arises from projections along older stems. (Photo taken 30 April 2010.)
![box-huckleberry-growth2 Lateral growth of new shoots of the box huckleberry.](https://wildeherb.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/box-huckleberry-growth2-300x219.jpg)
New light green foliage grows vertically from many places along a single stem. (Photo taken 30 April 2010.)
Continuing down the trail I had a nice surprise when I saw a Pink Lady’s-Slipper, Cypripedium acaule. Since I was so focused on the box huckleberry plant, the lady slipper practically jumped out at me. The shape and color were so different from the evergreen ovals of the huckleberry.
![pink-ladyslipper-new A young pink lady slipper orchid also known as the moccasin flower.](https://wildeherb.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/pink-ladyslipper-new-230x300.jpg)
An orchid known as Pink Lady’s Slipper or Moccasin Flower due to its pouch-like flower. Stay tuned for photos of pink ladys slippers.
Even though we have seen the pink lady’s slipper flowering on the mountain ridges in this area, I was delighted to see this pretty orchid here in a protected forest setting.
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