2012 UK Orchid season updates (1 Viewer)

[rmielcarek]

Delforge describes, and has illustrations of, the leaf margins for these helleborines.

So it has. Never noticed that before. Thanks

Rich M

 

[Ghostly Vision]

So it has. Never noticed that before. Thanks

Rich M

It is a little confusing, I have to say - I think I may have had the edge cilia patterns the wrong way round in my mind, from a mistaken memory......clearly BLH should have relatively even teeth, spiralling around the leaf edge (as in the miscroscope pic on the Leics plant), but so does NLH - but to my eyes the latter has more regular, even "teeth", and BLH can regularly show a long tooth followed by a few short, then a long one, etc, like goalposts with grass between them.

I have lots of unlabelled pics of leaf edges taken through microscope, need to sort them, note what they are and put something together. Give me some time!

Mike - my purps are definitely donner than yours. Nikon is the way forward, Canon boy.
Sean

 

[Isurus]

Some lovely little autumn ladies tresses in a local cemetery this morning.....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/deep-blue/sets/72157631235836014/

 

[heakl]

Autumn Lady's-tresses

Autumn Lady's-tresses were in flower last week on the Dorset coast, loads still in bud so should be good for a week or two.

Also coming into flower on the Cotswolds today, including this evergreen one - although rather faded the leaves from the old rosette are clearly still there.

Alan

 

[heakl]

To my huge surprise I came across a var. rosea hiding in a shady corner of a hazel coppice!

Mike.

Hello there Mike/all,

Mike - excellent find today. Gorgeous plant, but does show some chlorophyll tones, so not a full rosea - but to me that makes it more attractive!

Sean

Sean

I can see what you mean but I suspect that might actually be a combined artefact of the strong sunlight pouring through the hazel leaves above and my love of aperture stopping up and down! The greenish tones on the ovaries appeared a pale yellow when the clouds blocked the sunlight.

Mike.

Hi Mike

I was talking about the apparent pale green bract in the background of your close-up, and perhaps also to the underside (ie not refleted light?) of the sepal.

Sean

Saw the plant yesterday, a little past its best but definitely a true rosea, any appearance to the contrary was clearly an aberration in the photograph.

Alan

 

[rogpow]

Autumn Lady's-tresses were in flower last week on the Dorset coast, loads still in bud so should be good for a week or two.

Alan

Plenty out now on the downs on the Isle of Wight as well. Seems to me to be more plants than last year.

Rog

 

[Dylan Edwards]

A few Autumn Lady's tresses on the Great Orme though fading fast ....

 

[Lorne]

Blh-v

Hi Alan & Rich, did manage to find that BLH viridiflora at the Kilkenny site also checked out the Birdlip area but only 99% on the one there.
Last year I found a few BLH at a new site in Weymouth, but they just seemed “odd”.
Only a couple there & none this year, as I don’t think I had seen viridiflora before I wonder if that was what I saw there!

 

[Lorne]

Palmerosa; I went to Langford Lakes NR today and found a good number of the orchids.
However in one area where there were about 6 plants some manure and wood had been dumped. So bearing in mind what has been said about clearance behind the information board I'm going to contact Wilts WT re protecting the orchids, as they are planning improvements at the site.

Stopped at the Langford Lakes NR on the way back home & saw how much they had damaged the orchid site there.
Went up to the only Violet Helleborine site in Dorset on Sunday & this looks a little damaged as well!

 

[palmarosa]

Langford Lakes

Stopped at the Langford Lakes NR on the way back home & saw how much they had damaged the orchid site there.
Went up to the only Violet Helleborine site in Dorset on Sunday & this looks a little damaged as well!

I got a favourable response from Wilts WT saying the relevant person would be informed. Might help if you contact them with your concerns too as you know how much damage has been done. It was my first visit there.
Helen

 

[leptochila]

Visited a Spiranthes site in Worcestershire yesterday and found plenty of plants (~600) on what would initially appear to be unsuitable rough grassland. Observed a fly species probing one of the plants, visiting each flower individually but it didn't remove any pollinia.

Mike.

 

[rmielcarek]

Hi Alan & Rich, did manage to find that BLH viridiflora at the Kilkenny site also checked out the Birdlip area but only 99% on the one there.
Last year I found a few BLH at a new site in Weymouth, but they just seemed “odd”. Only a couple there & none this year, as I don’t think I had seen viridiflora before I wonder if that was what I saw there!

Hi Lorne

Left hand photo is viridiflora but hard to say with the right hand photo as you can't really see the interior of the hypochile.

This variant is, as expected, rather variable, see post #529 above. At the Cotswold site you visited there were plants with various degrees of brown flecking in the hypochile, and others that were identical except that the hypochile was solidly dark brown.

In 2010 Alan found a plant in the Cotswolds that had a green hypochile but narrow purple edges to the petals, and a faint wash of colour to the epichile.

Rich M

 

[heakl]

Hi Lorne

Left hand photo is viridiflora but hard to say with the right hand photo as you can't really see the interior of the hypochile.

This variant is, as expected, rather variable, see post #529 above. At the Cotswold site you visited there were plants with various degrees of brown flecking in the hypochile, and others that were identical except that the hypochile was solidly dark brown.

In 2010 Alan found a plant in the Cotswolds that had a green hypochile but narrow purple edges to the petals, and a faint wash of colour to the epichile.

Rich M

In reference to viridiflora Harrop's say "It is rare", I'm wondering how true that is. Just by chance, and without any previous knowledge of its existence, I found one site last year and two more sites this year. The three sites are all on the Cotswolds but several miles apart. Have I been incredibly lucky or is it less rare than Harrop's suggest?

I'd be interested to hear how widespread it is, comments from your areas wherever you are folks, please.

Alan

 

[heakl]

Getting towards the end of the season but still a few nice ones to be found, attached photos were both taken yesterday. There are still Autumn Lady's-tresses in bud so they should be nice for a week or two yet, I rather think the violet helleborine is the last one in this area this year, all the other I saw yesterday were well past it as were the Broad-leaved.

Still plenty of time to find a Ghost Orchid though, I checked some woods in Herefordshire on Friday but no luck unfortunately, if they like it wet it's certainly the year for them.

Alan

 

[Ghostly Vision]

Hi Alan & Rich, did manage to find that BLH viridiflora at the Kilkenny site also checked out the Birdlip area but only 99% on the one there.
Last year I found a few BLH at a new site in Weymouth, but they just seemed “odd”.
Only a couple there & none this year, as I don’t think I had seen viridiflora before I wonder if that was what I saw there!

Hi Lorne

I'm with Rich on this one - The right hand picture is more difficult to identify with certainty, but to be honest it looks good for viridiflora (or, more correctly chlorantha), with its bright green bosses.

Alan - I've now seen this type in Berkshire, Leicestershire & Hampshire. Add to that Lorne's and your sites, I'm guessing this is quite a widespread but uncommon form. I've not heard of any reports from further north, though.

It is just an anthocyanin-poor version of standard BLH.

Regards

Sean

 

[Andrew]

Visited a Spiranthes site in Worcestershire yesterday and found plenty of plants (~600) on what would initially appear to be unsuitable rough grassland. Observed a fly species probing one of the plants, visiting each flower individually but it didn't remove any pollinia.

Mike.

Looks like Eriothrix rufomaculata, a tachinidae species.

 

[leptochila]

In 2010 Alan found a plant in the Cotswolds that had a green hypochile but narrow purple edges to the petals, and a faint wash of colour to the epichile.

Rich M

An extreme example of this colouring is E. cardina which seems to nearly always show a very green hypochile and reddish petals and sepals. Have a look at this beauty - http://www.flickr.com/photos/96454410@N00/4894933719/in/gallery-21933510@N07-72157631111197658/

I'd be interested to hear how widespread it is, comments from your areas wherever you are folks, please.

Alan

I've personally seen viridiflora in Leicestershire and seen photos of a plant from North Wales this year so yes, pretty widespread.

Looks like Eriothrix rufomaculata, a tachinidae species.

Thankyou very much Andrew! I was dimly hoping someone could identify it for me. Do you know if it's a carrion species or would it be attracted to nectar?

Mike.

 

[Andrew]

Thankyou very much Andrew! I was dimly hoping someone could identify it for me. Do you know if it's a carrion species or would it be attracted to nectar?

Mike.

They are flower feeders but reproduce by laying eggs inside the larvae of lepidoptera.

Regards,
Andrew.

 

[leptochila]

They are flower feeders but reproduce by laying eggs inside the larvae of lepidoptera.

Regards,
Andrew.

Ah excellent, so a potential Spiranthes pollinator, though not their primary pollinators which I believe are bumblebees.

Mike

 

[Ghostly Vision]

On Wednesday (12th) I spent some time looking for Ghost orchid at the 2009 location and the original location.

No luck at either site: despite efforts to prevent felling (or "thinning" as the Forestry Commission calls it) adjacent to the spot of the 2009 record, the site would appear to be ruined due to clearance and sunlight ingression, causing a near-full ground cover of bramble and other plants.

Luckily, there are some very suitable spots near to this, so it may be that the place is still worth checking. Certainly it will be looked at until the end of this month.

Sapey Brook, the original location, is such a wonderful place I have to go anyway. The habitat and spot are very unlike any other Ghost location I know of, but since it has occurred here, and has been unaltered in the 158 years since the records there, it is a long shot worth taking. Nothing seen, but to spend time here is such a pleasure, the lack of Ghostly activity is irrelevant.

Sean