orchids

Amongst all the beautiful wild flowers here I have seen several orchids. I'm not at all able to put names to them. This pale yellow one was the first it was flowering beneath the Chestnut trees in April and there were quite a few about.






In June there are at least three varieties, a pale purple that looks like a Heath Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata) it was certainly growing on what is now a heath, though it used to be a football pitch! The flowers are pale, with a darker lined pattern on them, the leaves are spotted. Most of the other vegetation is gorse and some heather.
There only seem to be three specimens of this, assuming they are all the same, which I think they are, but they may not be as there are also 2 white orchids as well, growing fairly close, though not together.

There are also plenty of examples of the Bird's-nest Orchid (Neottia nidis-avis), at least that's what I think it is. It is brown and has no leaves and is growing on the edge of old woodland. there are several clumps.


These are just examples that I have seen close to paths.

Saturday, 12th June

We have had a week of very heavy rain, today is marginally better, not brilliant but not actually raining. I went for a walk this morning to see how the rain had affected some of the flowers as some of the fields that have not been mown have been flattened. To my surprise the white orchid has totally disappeared, no seeds, no stem and no leaves, if I hadn't taken a photo I would have started to doubt myself. Likewise a Campanula has disappeared as well. There are lots of flowers and things around so I doubt that the deer and wild boar have suddenly taken a fancy to two rare flowers but something has happened.