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2012 UK Orchid season updates (2 Viewers)

Visited a derbyshire Common twayblade site yesterday. It has a population of 1000+ plants, along with a good population of Dactyls (Common spotted, Southern marsh and hybrids).

Most were still just pushing their leaves up, many had a little nest of grapes emerging out of the leaves, and only a few had open flowers - and then maybe only 2 or 3 maximum.

I found two plants with three leaves and one with four! Pics to be posted later when I'm on my other laptop.

The Dactyls were mainly leaf rosettes, with the odd one or two showing unopened flowers heads pushing through the rosettes.

When these are all out, it is a spectacular sight.

The place is also a site for Purple Toothwort, and there were quite a few of those still in flower - I normally go in March for them!

Cheers

Sean
 
finally broke my jinx re-birdsnests in the chilterns - 8 spotted today !

At a private woodland site in the Chilterns there are an incredible 179 Birds Nest orchids in flower. In a space no larger than 12m x 12m they make quite a spectacle.
Interestingly they have 'surfaced' in two distinct rings, roughly 5m across, with a couple of side 'wings', obviously reflecting their particular mycorrhizal association! Never noticed that feature before but then not alway found in these numbers!
 
Coralroots

It has been a poor year for the Coralroots, we found two singles and one double and a group of 6 plants all coming to or in flower.

Lady's Slipper at Silverdale one in full flower.
Good show at Gait Barrows 20+. Will PM you Sean
 
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It has been a poor year for the Coralroots, we found two singles and one double and a group of 6 plants all coming to or in flower.
Silverdale one in full flower.
Good show at Gait Barrows 20+. Will PM you Sean

Sounds like a trip to Northumberland might be in order in that case! Also thinking of going to Gaitbarrows though.

Mike.
 
Red petalled Twayblade

A Common Twayblade with red petals looked rather unusual and worth a photograph.

Alan
 

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Yesterday I had some fun at a couple of orchid sites

Hartslock - 2 Lady orchids, many Monkey Orchids and the hybrids looking spectacular. Also Common Twayblades in flower.

Castle Hill - Early Spider and Fragrant Orchids. Common Spotteds and Pyramidals in bud.
 
Two specimens found at Martin down (Hants).
Three Greenwinged orchids at a nearby Dorset site.

Of note the Corfe Mullen meadow appeared to be devoid of Green wings when normally there are hundreds !. A consequence of the dry March weather perhaps.

I visited Corfe Mullen on 25th April and a few Green Winged were coming up - I think they probably drowned given the weather that week and since.
 
Yesterday I had some fun at a couple of orchid sites

Hartslock - 2 Lady orchids, many Monkey Orchids and the hybrids looking spectacular. Also Common Twayblades in flower.

Castle Hill - Early Spider and Fragrant Orchids. Common Spotteds and Pyramidals in bud.

Castle Hill nr Folkestone Kent?
 
Hi everyone, that time of year again!
We were planning a visit to Cumbria for the local specialities on 14/5 but the warden tells us it's a late year and we'll need to go at the end of May. That leaves us with a blank day - does anyone know whether the various Marsh Orchids are showing at Newborough, Cors Goch etc,

Jeff

We were on Anglesey on Thursday evening and Friday morning exploring a couple of the fens - hardly anything in flower yet.

We went up looking for some real Pugsleys and found a few decent specimens in flower at one site. Also there Early Purples were still in flower, a couple of incarnata Early Marsh were just coming into flower and there was a group of 3 Northern Marsh. We also found a couple of plants that seemed to be Pugsleys x Early Marsh.

At the second site we visited we could only find one Pugsleys with one flower half open and a few Early Purples. We also got chased by a herd of mad ponies that stampeded down the boardwalk!

Rich M
 
We were on Anglesey on Thursday evening and Friday morning exploring a couple of the fens - hardly anything in flower yet.

We went up looking for some real Pugsleys and found a few decent specimens in flower at one site. Also there Early Purples were still in flower, a couple of incarnata Early Marsh were just coming into flower and there was a group of 3 Northern Marsh. We also found a couple of plants that seemed to be Pugsleys x Early Marsh.

At the second site we visited we could only find one Pugsleys with one flower half open and a few Early Purples. We also got chased by a herd of mad ponies that stampeded down the boardwalk!

Rich M

Those early-purples always seem to be quite late flowering, especially the ones over the fence under the limestone outcrop. Did you see any early Heath Fragrants?

Mike.
 
Those early-purples always seem to be quite late flowering, especially the ones over the fence under the limestone outcrop. Did you see any early Heath Fragrants?

Mike.

No early Fragrants, in fact little of anything.

What surprised me about the Early Purples was not the late flowering but the habitat, on the tussocks in the damp patches, same as the Pugsleys.

Attached is a picture of the hybrid; the long, heavily reflexed leaves seem to be from Early Marsh and the loose inflorescence and lip marked with dashes right out to the edge seems to be from Pugsleys.

Rich M
 

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Anglesey dacts

A few images from our trip.

Messy work taking photos, given how boggy the ground was.

Rich M
 

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James: Antshrike69 is in Sussex this weekend, so I think not. Off to Chappetts Copse and Noar Hill today: will report back.

James

Sword-leaved helleborines looking v good at Chappett's Copse. Also 50 Bird's-nest (most stunted) and a dozen Fly.

At Noar Hill, a good show of Common Twayblades. Early Purples mostly over but some in fine shape; one of variety alba. Fragrants still in bud. About 8 Duke of Burgundy.
 
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