2011 UK Orchid season updates (1 Viewer)

[Ghostly Vision]

Hi

From Alan's photos it looks like a mutant Pyramidal. Any more pics Rich?

 

[rmielcarek]

Hi

From Alan's photos it looks like a mutant Pyramidal. Any more pics Rich?

Give us a chance to have me lunch!

Pretty rubbish as it's in quite heavy shade - where's Mr Mackie when we need him!

Will post pics of other interesting Pyramids under separate posts.

Rich M

 

[rmielcarek]

Will post pics of other interesting Pyramids under separate posts.

These couple of plants are about 15 yards away, still under trees but in a more open area (the first plant is hard to get at).

Rich M

 

[rmielcarek]

Will post pics of other interesting Pyramids under separate posts.

Rich M

This plant is a couple of hundred yards away on open downland.

Rich M

 

[heakl]

Curiouser and curiouser

Today's oddity, an almost lipless Frog!!!
Alan

 

[simonm001]

Var emarginata

That is certainly a great site and excellent photos!

John

Thanks John - the site is next to a very busy main road and is not a nice place to be , glad to get away
Simon

 

[simonm001]

Odd fragrant

All this talk of oddities has made me look back at my archives.
Here's a strange plant I photographed on a Cotswold Common in 2007. Common Fragrant yes but very dark stem and bracts with an odd cup shaped lip.
Any ideas
Simon
ps The camera at the time obviously not able to deal with the colours either , the blue tinge is wrong.

 

[heakl]

All this talk of oddities has made me look back at my archives.
Here's a strange plant I photographed on a Cotswold Common in 2007. Common Fragrant yes but very dark stem and bracts with an odd cup shaped lip.
Any ideas
Simon
ps The camera at the time obviously not able to deal with the colours either , the blue tinge is wrong.

Hello Simon,
Think that photo was taken near the Severn Trent service reservoir! and as far as I'm aware the only fragrant there is Common Fragrant. The spikes usually have a purple tinge (there is probably some colour aberration from your lens on the spike and bracts as well as the flower) and I think your flowers are just opening, the sepals are in the right place for Common but the edges had not yet rolled back to show there normal appearance, the lip is probably also developing its final shape.

Alan

 

[simonm001]

Common fragrant

the sepals are in the right place for Common but the edges had not yet rolled back to show there normal appearance, the lip is probably also developing its final shape.

Alan

Hi Alan ,
Looking at several images of Common Fragrant spikes in half bud , showing development from bud to full flower I don't understand what you mean. The sepals always seem to appear rolled , then the lip emerges fulled tri-lobal - no unfurling at all.
The close-up image of the odd plant is of the bottom flowers and so should show the eldest, fully formed flowers. This therefore shows rather wide sepals and a cupped , rounded lip.
Its probably just an abberant Common Fragrant , I'm not trying to make it into anything just curious.
Simon

 

[heakl]

Hi Alan ,
Looking at several images of Common Fragrant spikes in half bud , showing development from bud to full flower I don't understand what you mean. The sepals always seem to appear rolled , then the lip emerges fulled tri-lobal - no unfurling at all.
The close-up image of the odd plant is of the bottom flowers and so should show the eldest, fully formed flowers. This therefore shows rather wide sepals and a cupped , rounded lip.
Its probably just an abberant Common Fragrant , I'm not trying to make it into anything just curious.
Simon

Hello Simon.
I have looked at my Common Fragrant photos, and yes, yours is rather different. It was the fact that the lateral sepals on the lower flowers in your photo didn't appear rolled back, that made me think that perhaps the flower was not yet fully formed. Sorry to be the cause of confusion.

Alan

 

[rmielcarek]

Pretty rubbish as it's in quite heavy shade - where's Mr Mackie when we need him!

These couple of plants are about 15 yards away, still under trees but in a more open area (the first plant is hard to get at).

This plant is a couple of hundred yards away on open downland.

Now all the excitement has died down I've had a chance to have a better look at my photos of these plants.

The plants in posts 263 and 264 above do not show any features that are anomalous for Pyramidal, apart from each having an aberrant lip shape. I think they are just Pyramidal with an odd lip.

The plant in post 262 is slightly different in that the lip shape is even more of a mess, and not consistent between individual flowers. More importantly it has a long, pink spur that the other three plants don't show. However it does not match the description of Pyramidal x Fragrant given in Lang (1980) - spike long and scented, or Stace - scent and cylindrical spike. I think the plant is even more messed up than the others, the long spur is another anomoly, but it is 'just' a Pyramidal.

That was fun.

Rich M

 

[rmielcarek]

Broad-leaved helleborine

First of the local Broad-leaves flowers just starting to open.

Rich M

 

[SB123]

Heleborines on Holy Island

Just had a long weekend up north. Dark Red Heleborines looking good at Bishop Middleham, Tyne Heleborines at Beltingham (but not yet at their peak), and Lindisfarne Heleborines still a couple of weeks off their best.

Also saw some more robust and taller heleborines adjacent to classic Lindisfarnes that a couple of Belgian guys claimed were Dune Heleborines, but I thought all the 'dune'-types on Holy Island were Lindisfarne? They looked very similar to me apart from structure. I couldn't make out any difference in flower stem colour. See attached (first three 'dunes' and last one a classic 'lindisfarne').

Cheers

Stu

 

[MTR]

Just had a long weekend up north. Dark Red Heleborines looking good at Bishop Middleham, Tyne Heleborines at Beltingham (but not yet at their peak), and Lindisfarne Heleborines still a couple of weeks off their best.

Also saw some more robust and taller heleborines adjacent to classic Lindisfarnes that a couple of Belgian guys claimed were Dune Heleborines, but I thought all the 'dune'-types on Holy Island were Lindisfarne? They looked very similar to me apart from structure. I couldn't make out any difference in flower stem colour. See attached (first three 'dunes' and last one a classic 'lindisfarne').

Cheers

Stu

Hello Stu

I am thinking about shooting up to Bishop Middleham this weekend to see the Dark Red Heleborines. Did you note roughly how many there are this year??
I hope I'm not to late this weekend

Mark

 

[leptochila]

Just had a long weekend up north. Dark Red Heleborines looking good at Bishop Middleham, Tyne Heleborines at Beltingham (but not yet at their peak), and Lindisfarne Heleborines still a couple of weeks off their best.

Also saw some more robust and taller heleborines adjacent to classic Lindisfarnes that a couple of Belgian guys claimed were Dune Heleborines, but I thought all the 'dune'-types on Holy Island were Lindisfarne? They looked very similar to me apart from structure. I couldn't make out any difference in flower stem colour. See attached (first three 'dunes' and last one a classic 'lindisfarne').

Cheers

Stu

Hi Stu,

Definitely all Lindisfarne Helleborines. No other 'broad-leaved helleborine type' epipactis species occurs on the island.
These Europeans always comin' over 'ere and re-classifying our orchids!

Nice photos btw!

Mike.

 

[IJS]

Any news on the Norfolk creeping tresses? Are they flowering this year?

Any news on other helleborines too?

 

[SB123]

Mike - thanks for the confirmation - that's what I thought.

Mark - there will still be plenty of Dark Reds at Bishop Middleham - quite a few had not yet opened out (including right under the sign board just in from the northern laybye on the western side of the quarry). Hard to judge numbers - they are scattered all over this quite large site. I saw dozens, but probably extrapolate hundreds based on all the bits I didn't get to or look closely at...

Cheers

Stu

 

[Jonny721]

Does anybody have a list or know of a list on the internet of all the orchid species in britain, preferably on an excel sheet, as I'm interested in seeing how many I've seen.

 

[ceterach]

Hi

This is more or less up to date and complete.

http://www.orchidsofbritainandeurope.co.uk/British list.html

You can copy it and paste into excel as text.

All the best

John

PS Spiranthes aestivalis is only on there in vain hope!

 

[Ghostly Vision]

Hi

This is more or less up to date and complete.

http://www.orchidsofbritainandeurope.co.uk/British list.html

You can copy it and paste into excel as text.

All the best

John

PS Spiranthes aestivalis is only on there in vain hope!

...although the Dactylorhiza taxonomy is well out of date.

If anyone is interested I will create an excel on the list as I see it, and post it on here.

Sean