Can’t get anything past our blog readers! Yes, from the highly cropped photo on Friday two readers quickly recognized emerging Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora):
These plants have no chlorophyll, instead relying on fungal partners who colonize both their roots and the roots of nearby photosynthetic plants. So ultimately this is a parasitic species, as it takes resources from the photosynthesizers in its root network without reciprocal benefit.
These are not commonly found plants, so I think it’s really cool that they appeared in such profusion in a home landscape.
I have some in my back yard in Roanoke, VA that just came up