{"id":11852,"date":"2019-10-28T06:30:48","date_gmt":"2019-10-28T10:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=11852"},"modified":"2019-10-21T12:19:31","modified_gmt":"2019-10-21T16:19:31","slug":"take-5-ghostly-indian-pipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-ghostly-indian-pipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Take 5: “Ghostly” Indian Pipe"},"content":{"rendered":"

You may have spotted a strange little white flower growing in dark parts of the forest\u2014often around beech trees\u2014and mistaken it for a fungi, but Indian Pipe (a.k.a. Ghost Pipe) is actually an amazing kind of plant.<\/p>\n

It contains no chlorophyll so, unlike most plants, it is white or pale pink in color instead of green. Without chlorophyll, it can’t make energy from the sun through photosynthesis, so how does this “ghostly” little flower get its food? Indian Pipe is parasitic, stealing its nutrients from certain fungi that in turn have a symbiotic relationship with tree roots.<\/p>\n

Because it doesn’t need sunlight for energy, it can often be found in very shady spots on the forest floor and its ephemeral (short) growth cycle means it only appears for brief periods, usually after a rain that breaks a longer dry spell.<\/p>\n

With their “ghostly” pallor\u00a0and “sinister” parasitic appetite, these fascinating flowers make for a great way to celebrate Halloween, don’t you think? Enjoy these five photos from our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors<\/a> photo contest and have a happy, spooky Halloween!<\/p>\n

\"Indian

Indian Pipe \u00a9 Robert DesRosiers<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Indian

Indian Pipe \u00a9 Joy Yagid<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Indian

Indian Pipe \u00a9 Steven Basso<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Indian

Indian Pipe \u00a9 Rachel Gorman<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Indian
Indian Pipe \u00a9 A Grigorenko<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You may have spotted a strange little white flower growing in dark parts of the forest\u2014often around beech trees\u2014and mistaken it for a fungi, but Indian Pipe (a.k.a. Ghost Pipe) is actually an amazing kind of plant. It contains no chlorophyll so, unlike most plants, it is white or pale pink in color instead of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":11855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[158],"tags":[49,189,290,83,84],"class_list":["post-11852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-take-5","tag-flowers","tag-halloween","tag-indian-pipe","tag-photo-contest","tag-photography"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/11\/2806Steven_Basso10012.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-35a","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8142,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-mushroom-mania\/","url_meta":{"origin":11852,"position":0},"title":"Take 5: Mushroom Mania!","author":"Ryan D.","date":"September 21, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"September is National Mushroom Month and a perfect time to spot the fruiting bodies of fungi as they flourish in the cooling temperatures. What are fungi, anyway? Fungi are neither plants nor animals. They may appear to be similar to plants, but they contain no chlorophyll and so cannot make\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Exsudiporus Frostii (fungi, mushroom) \u00a9 Ruby Sarkar, Photo Contest 2013","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/09\/2291RubySarkar8017.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/09\/2291RubySarkar8017.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/09\/2291RubySarkar8017.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":251,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/the-smelly-side-of-nature\/","url_meta":{"origin":11852,"position":1},"title":"The Smelly Side of Nature","author":"Hillary T.","date":"July 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"If you were one of the many people captivated by the rare titan arum a.k.a. corpse flower that recently bloomed at the Franklin Park Zoo, but didn\u2019t get a chance to see it (or smell it for that matter), don\u2019t fret. While it will be some time till \u201cMorticia\u201d blooms\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2012\/06\/401px-Pseudocolus_fusiformisCREDITNoah-Siegel-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11782,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-fantastic-fungi\/","url_meta":{"origin":11852,"position":2},"title":"Take 5: Fantastic Fungi","author":"Ryan D.","date":"October 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"In case you've been living under a rock, you may not have noticed it's been a banner year for mushrooms (although, \"under a rock\" might not be the worst place to find evidence of fungi). The classic \"stem-and-cap\" mushroom\u00a0is typically the first thing that comes to mind when most folks\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"\"Onion Bagel Pholiota\", Pholiota aurivella\/limonella \u00a9 Ed Anzures","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/10\/Onion-Bagel-Pholiota-aurivella-limonella-Ed-Anzures.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/10\/Onion-Bagel-Pholiota-aurivella-limonella-Ed-Anzures.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/10\/Onion-Bagel-Pholiota-aurivella-limonella-Ed-Anzures.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/10\/Onion-Bagel-Pholiota-aurivella-limonella-Ed-Anzures.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":989,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/the-science-behind-foliage\/","url_meta":{"origin":11852,"position":3},"title":"The Science Behind Foliage","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"October 11, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"By now, we're well into foliage season, and many of us have likely done some leaf peeping, as it is shaping up to be a year of spectacular colors (see Foliage Forecast below for why). When you\u2019re checking out nature\u2019s painterly display, do you ever wonder why the leaves change\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2012\/10\/NicoleLemay.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3942,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/five-amazing-mushrooms\/","url_meta":{"origin":11852,"position":4},"title":"Five Amazing Mushrooms","author":"Rosemary","date":"September 24, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Mushrooms, the fruiting bodies of fungi, are especially abundant as the summer winds down and the cold air sets in. Although some of our local fungi, such as oyster mushrooms, may be more familiar, they\u2019re only a small part of a remarkably diverse world that includes glow-in-the-dark, multicolored, and gargantuan\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/08\/chromefootedbolete.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/08\/chromefootedbolete.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/08\/chromefootedbolete.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14728,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-fall-through-the-looking-glass\/","url_meta":{"origin":11852,"position":5},"title":"Take 5: Fall Through the Looking Glass","author":"Ryan D.","date":"October 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"After a cool, wet spring and a hot, dry summer (ideal conditions for spectacular fall foliage), nature is coming alive with reds, oranges, and yellows as plants gradually cease photosynthesis, lose their green-colored chlorophyll, and enter a dormant phase for the winter. Many folks, it seems, have noticed that this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Reflections of Fall at Harold Parker Forest in Andover, MA \u00a9 Paul Mozell","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/1822Paul_Mozell24868.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/1822Paul_Mozell24868.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/1822Paul_Mozell24868.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/1822Paul_Mozell24868.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11852"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11852\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13256,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11852\/revisions\/13256"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}