A rare and delicate orchid is getting a second chance at life, thanks to the dedication of ecologists, specially trained scent dogs, and even a little help from local cattle.

Spiranthes delitescens, better known as the Canelo Hills ladies' tresses, is a fragile, spike-like orchid that grows only in isolated, elevated "sky islands" in southern Arizona. Once thriving in five separate locations, it now clings to survival in just two, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

Ecologist Melissa McCormick of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and the North American Orchid Conservation Center has made it her mission to change that. Her team is working to identify new safe havens where this rare flower can bloom again — but the task isn't as simple as planting seeds.

"This orchid is very specific," McCormick explained, per Smithsonian Magazine. "It just needs one fungus and only one fungus species."

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Posted by WisconsinEcology on Monday, June 16, 2025

That's where some very good dogs come in. Specially trained scent dogs are helping researchers locate the exact spots where these orchids still survive, including areas where they had been in the past. 

"Dogs were trained to key in on where this orchid is, visiting the existing populations and where the orchids used to be," said McCormick.

The two remaining orchid populations grow on privately owned cattle ranches, where grazing cattle may actually help the plants. As the cows move through the habitat, their hooves trample other vegetation, leaving small depressions that collect water and provide the orchids with what they need to flower once the cattle are gone. 

Armed with this knowledge, McCormick's team has mapped out promising sites and is preparing to plant more than 10,000 orchids.

"The orchids are an indicator species of how the ecosystem is doing," McCormick said, per Smithsonian Magazine. When they disappear, it means that other parts of the system, such as the pollinators and plants that depend on them, are also in trouble. Losing them could ripple out and affect everything from insects to birds to the overall health of the landscape.

For now, McCormick and her team — with help from some sharp-nosed dogs and a few unsuspecting cows — are giving the Canelo Hills ladies' tresses a fighting chance.

If all goes well, these "sky island" orchids could start popping up in new places, quietly signaling that the ecosystem is on the mend.

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