We were fortunate to be out hiking on a route that had a good clump of pinedrops (pterospora andomedea) in bloom just off the trail.   This perennial grows up to 100 cm, but these ones were about 40 to 60 cm tall.   They are saprophytic (a plant that lives on dead or decaying organic matter), parasitic on evergreens.    The reddish stems were fleshy, unbranched, and appeared to be leafless, but on inspection we spotted small scale-like leaves were clustered like shingles near the base.    

The flowers were urn-shaped and yellow.

Later in the season the flowers will fade and capsules will develop, but the stems remain reddish into winter.

We can sometimes see the old fibrous stalks still standing in the next season in shady forested areas, but we hope to spot them in more areas next summer.