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2012 UK Orchid season updates (2 Viewers)

1. Richard's site for Fly orchids, inc orangey-edge lip ones: Brilliant, must be over 200 flowering Fly orchids there. No plants I would place firmly in flavomarginata though. A few White helleborines, some big ones, and Common spotted orchids coming into flower.
2. Nearby, at a private woodland site for flavomarginata Fly orchid, not a single plant in flower. There have been over 200 in this small patch of woodland as recently as 2001, and also the subbombifera type too in the past. No white hellebroines either.
3. NW of Oxford, at a site where there were well over 120 Bee Orchids two years ago - including the vars trollii, belgarum and flavescens. Pouring with rain and had to rescue a young Magpie from a dog's mouth on behalf of a local lady! Not a single Bee orchid found. The reason became quickly apparent - every single plant had been dug up. This is the curse of a highly attractive, cosmopolitan plant in a public area that has been locally publicised in order to raise public interest. Luckily, the amount of dug up patches was less than the number of plants from 2 years ago. Perhaps many have not flowered and might come up in a better year.

Sean
 

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Some pics from today. The first Fly orchid looks like an ant's head poking out of a fancy dress costume!

The second shows that the plants with yellow edged lips start out as having a pinker edge, which yellow with age.

Sean
 

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I went over to fairly local fen on Saturday to see columbines really but was please to see the new sub species of Southern marsh flowering beautifully in the fen. This used to be pugsleys but recent research has shown that the east anglian and many southern examples are actually a sub species of Southern Marsh orchids. The fen holds a very nice collection of these plants. There were a couple of early marsh orchids growing there too.

There was also a chap from the wildlife trust who was doing a bit of research on that population and it was he who confirmed the plants identity to me.

I'd be interested in reading about these. Is it published anywhere?
Thanks
Matthew
 
Been up to Cumbria today to see the coral root orchids (stayed sunny and dry!). Managed to find 7 plants still in flower. Also saw northern marsh, early marsh and common spotted on the same site. I also came across what I believe to be a hybrid which had very leopard-like spots on its leaves. I think its a northern marsh common spotted cross. Quite a plant. One other plant had extremely dark leaves with only a small percentage actually green!
 
hi
I was told last Sunday that it had just come out. I will see if I can dig up a reference for you. I want to read it too! I think its by Bateman...

Ian

It's in the latest edition of the New Journal of Botany (volume 2 number 1). If you are a member of BSBI you should have received your copy by now. If not ISSN is 2042-3489, published by Maney Publishing.

Article is authored by Bateman and Denholm.

Rich M
 
Hi all, checked out a few sites a couple of days ago in Vc 55 (Leicestershire and Rutland) and found good numbers of Early Marsh Orchid (30+), Southern Marsh Orchids (50+), Heath Spotted Orchid (50+), Frog Orchid (2) and Common Twayblade (2).
Cheers,
Dave.
 
Lake Vyrnwy Lesser Twayblades

200+ flowering Lesser Twayblades on the moorland above Lake Vyrnwy yesterday. Quite large plants and clearly quite a healthy population. Found 2 plants with an extra leaf - one is more of a leafy scale half way up the stem.

Mike.
 

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It's in the latest edition of the New Journal of Botany (volume 2 number 1). If you are a member of BSBI you should have received your copy by now. If not ISSN is 2042-3489, published by Maney Publishing.

Article is authored by Bateman and Denholm.

Rich M

Hi Rich
Thanks for the ref. Will take a look in our library for it...

Ian
 
bee orchids in or near Oxfordshire

For the last several years I have tried to find Bee Orchids in this area and have been to various sites where they are said to occur. Today I have seen Common Spotted, Pyramidal, Common Twayblade, Greater Butterfly, Monkey, Fly and Fragrant Orchids(?) and White Helleborine at various NRs not too far away... but not a sniff of a bee orchid.. Anyone have any suggestions as to where to go and when?

Mick
 
For the last several years I have tried to find Bee Orchids in this area and have been to various sites where they are said to occur. Today I have seen Common Spotted, Pyramidal, Common Twayblade, Greater Butterfly, Monkey, Fly and Fragrant Orchids(?) and White Helleborine at various NRs not too far away... but not a sniff of a bee orchid.. Anyone have any suggestions as to where to go and when?

Mick

They do grow at the monkey site along the top path in previous years. You dont see many there though.
 
I'm not knowledgeable about plants at all, but I spent a week in Shetland last week and someone I was with did know what we were seeing. Lots and lots and lots of Early Purples in many locations. There were one or two other species which I can't remember what they were, but I got some photos of Frog Orchids at Keen of Hamar.
 

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Lesser Butterfly

In the New Forest near Holmsley, some twenty spikes coming in to flower. Also, Southern Marsh and Heath Spotted there.

Dave.
 

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I'm not knowledgeable about plants at all, but I spent a week in Shetland last week and someone I was with did know what we were seeing. Lots and lots and lots of Early Purples in many locations. There were one or two other species which I can't remember what they were, but I got some photos of Frog Orchids at Keen of Hamar.

Hi JTweedie,

many of the Orchids you will have seen on the Keen of Hamar (and around Shetland) will have been Northern Marsh and Heath Spotted. Most, if not all of the Early Purple's will have gone over. Best site for them is at the Keen of Hamar, as you go up to the gate on the Keen proper the fence runs up the hill they are quite close to the entrance. This is one of (if not the only site in the county). There are also Early Marsh there and plenty of hybrids! Common Spotted can also be found on Unst, Bog on Yell (although not yet) and Heath Fragrant in July too.

Hope you had a great time, the KOH, especially is one of my favourite places,

cheers,

Micky.
 
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Hi Micky,

I had a great time there, I had travelled all over Shetland and got to see many plants I've never seen before (as well as birds and some mammals).

I also saw the Shetland Mouse-ear (Edmonston's Chickweed), Northern Rock-cress and others at Keen of Hamar; oysterplant at Urafirth. The Early Purples I saw all over, especially in the north east of Unst around Skaw and Norwick, on Fetlar, but also in some other areas too.
 
I went to both a local marsh and ancient woodland yesterday in search or orchids (what a surprise...) and it was nicely successful.

Started off at a local marsh in search of southern marsh orchids. I recent years the site has held 50+ orchids. Unfortunately this year I could only find 3 small southerns. Not sure why, maybe due the drought we have had?

On to a local ancient woodland which gave 5 orchid species:

early purple orchid - just!
twayblade
common spotted
greater butterfly
bee

I had heard that there was 20+ greater butterflys but could only find 3.
Common spotted were also down compared to recent years.
I was very surprised to find bee orchids growing there. Manged to find 4 plants growing by the side of a track. Didnt seem to be great habitat for them but they had flowered well.

All in all a good orchid hunt!

Ian
 
Spotted orchids - Common vs Heath

Is it just me or does anyone else find that individuals in these two species can look identical?

The first (left hand) picture shows a plant I found today - although the flower looks like Common Spotted it was growing right in the middle of a patch of about 300 Heath Spotted so I suspect it's actually a Heath.

The right hand picture was taken last year, in the middle of a colony of about a thousand Common Spotted. Despite looking like a Heath I suspect that's probably a Common.

Rich M
 

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Saw lots of orchids this weekend in mid-Wales. Firstly on Saturday, I tried a site for Small White orchid, but despite assurances by the warden of two flowering plants, we saw nothing even after 3 hours of staring at every square inch of meadow! (or so we thought). Plenty of Heath Fragrants and Heath Spotted at the site with one Greater Butterfly in bud.
Later on, we dropped in at Rhos Fullbrook just outside Tregaron for Lesser Butterflys. Again, lots of Heath Spotted but only one slug-munched Lesser Butterfly hidden amongst the tussocks.
The next day, an afternoon stroll at Ynyslas NNR was rewarding with the typical display of Early-marsh (coccinea) and Northern Marsh (subsp. cambrensis - though I'm still dubious about its status).
Finally (today), armed with better directions, we headed back to the Small White site on the way back from Aberystwyth and this time struck lucky - surely one of only a handful of these now critically endangered Welsh plants.

Mike.
 

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