Michigan man on quest to photograph native orchids

By KAREN HOPPER USHER
Capital News Service

LANSING — The tiny white-and-pink flowers made Mark Carlson’s heart pound. His 30-year quest to find and photograph the small round-leaved orchis (Amerorchis rotundifolia) was finally over. But he couldn’t believe how tough it was going to be to get the picture just right. Carlson, a 58-year-old professional nature photographer who lives in Laingsburg in central Michigan, is on a mission to photograph the state’s best orchids. Common or plain orchids and ugly backgrounds don’t interest him.