2013 UK orchids (1 Viewer)

[broadbill]

Bee Orchid

Found my first Bee Orchid of the year on my lunch time walk at work in Essex which was a pleasant surprise, only one flower open so far. Also Pyramidals just starting to show some pink but a little while off being in flower still. Only had my phone so not the best photo of Bee Orchid I've ever taken.....

 

[muba]

near Bolton

Just back from a marsh orchid site on former soda ash tip. Both the Northern Marsh and the Southern Marsh seem well ahead of the Early Marsh coccinea whose spikes were only just showing a bit of colour. There seems to some atypical forms there, possibly hybrids but I'm not experienced enough to say whether the variation was within the bounds of the typical species. There was one, though, that made me suspect it was a Leopard Marsh Orchid.
Need time to sort out the photos though

Steve

 

[Matthebirder]

Gait Barrows was certainly at a state of perfection last Sunday at dawn when I was passing by. Just follow the arrows placed for the public. Awesome in the early morning sun!

Apologies for the rather naive questions, but anyone know if the LS Orchids are still in flower at Gait Barrows and the Coralroot Orchids at Sandscale?

Currently on the road working and away from good internet access and my books (my excuse anyway).

Regards, Phil

 

[childhood memories]

White frog

Summerhayes talked about the lack of anthocyanin in frogs- but if you look at the photos of the one GV and I photographed sepal and top two petals are ditinctly white - have gone back to original hotos to check it was as I remember - will try and go back this weekend to check
CM

 

[C Maynard]

Gait Barrows was certainly at a state of perfection last Sunday at dawn when I was passing by. Just follow the arrows placed for the public. Awesome in the early morning sun!

Plenty still to come, if last Saturday is anything to go by.

 

[JTweedie]

Quick question for all you orchid experts out there. In 2012 I went to Shetland the last week of May going into first week of June. It was where I saw my very first orchids.

When I got back home, I started looking for them in local areas since I now knew what to look for. I started to find them in some local areas in early June, and then I saw lots more of them at a particular location in early July.

One location I saw them in early June was the RSPB Lochwinnoch reserve. In fact I saw one. I've been back at this site a few times this month and particularly looked in the same area where I saw the orchid last year. But the plants around it have all grown up now - last year the other plants were still quite short so the orchid was quite visible. Towards the end of June last year the conditions were similar to the way they are now - tall grasses and other plants.

So - have I missed the orchid at this site this year?

The location where I saw them in July didn't have any when I visited a few days ago, but I'm hoping if I visit in July I'll see some.

Do they show annually and do they depend on conditions being just right for them?

As everyone knows, we had a cold extended early spring this year, then followed by about a week of warm, sunny weather last week. Last year it was generally warmer leading up to June (although in Shetland it was constantly windy and quite cold at the beginning, although it warmed up towards the end of my week there).

While the plants seem to have got going later, they seem to be ahead of where they were at this time last year - it appears that growth has been really strong once they got started this year.

 

[muba]

Expert opinion requested

Does anybody reckon this is a Leopard Marsh Orchid, var junialis? At least one leaf on the photo is showing ring like spots, and the bold lines on the labellum are largely unbroken.

 

[Ghostly Vision]

Hi Alan

These seem to lack anthocyanin to the same degree as Phil's. I think because Frog orchids are often greenish in colour, the absence of anthocyanin is rarely noticed hence the lack of records rather than a genuine rarity. A call for everyone to dig out their Frog pics for a good look! Nonetheless, as Sean rightly notes, this variant has never been formally described so maybe Phil has stumbled on something big here!

The record Sean is referring to comes from near Llanfair Clydogau, not far from Aberystwyth, where several plants were seen in 1994. I personally think I've found similar plants with the 'ghostly' appearance elsewhere in Britain, particularly one at Parsonage Down in 2008. When I'm back in Aber, I'll dig out pics on my external and post in a separate thread (hopefully the pics are of a reasonable quality!)


Mike

Alan's pics look like the Oxon plant, which was very striking at distance, and unlike any Frog I've ever seen. I doubt it is more common than we think, so to speak.

 

[Ghostly Vision]

Summerhayes talked about the lack of anthocyanin in frogs- but if you look at the photos of the one GV and I photographed sepal and top two petals are ditinctly white - have gone back to original hotos to check it was as I remember - will try and go back this weekend to check
CM

Hi CM

Despite your excellent photo, there is no actual white in the plant; it is very pale green in the areas you describe. I think it simply lacks anthocyanin.

GV

 

[Ghostly Vision]

Does anybody reckon this is a Leopard Marsh Orchid, var junialis? At least one leaf on the photo is showing ring like spots, and the bold lines on the labellum are largely unbroken.

The lip pattern, with clearly defined loops, indicates Common Spotted, so I'd say it's a hybrid between that and Southern Marsh, which is common where both - or either - species occur

 

[rmielcarek]

Funny Flys

Yesterday, at a permit only reserve in north Hampshire, I found a Fly orchid where a couple of the flowers had a broad yellow/orange border, resembling the luteomarginata form. The first photo shows the bottom flower, the second photo the next flower up. The third photo shows the second and third flowers - the third flower had no pale border; you can only just see that from the picture.

I found a second plant, showing the same effect but nowhere near as obvious. In the fourth photo you can see how on this plant the top flower has a faint paler border which, in the lower flower, is starting to turn orangey. I'm not sure if this is some odd form of ageing, similar to the edges browning, but both flowers look fresh enough.

Anyone got any idea what is going on here?

Rich M

 

[heakl]

Under the description "Today's oddity" (Post 324) I posted a photograph of a lipless Fly orchid. I've checked the plant today and two normal flowers have now emerged, the lip was obviously a tasty little morsel for something or other.

Having seen the trifoliate, and a variegated form of Common Twayblade, today's oddity is a variegated, trifoliated, Common Twayblade.

Alan

 

[JCL]

At Mildenhall, 36 Military Orchid in the experimental pit yesterday, most in fine fettle if slightly past their best. At Newmarket, 56 lizard orchids still fully closed. Couple of groups of pasque flowers still have the odd flower.

 

[Steve Babbs]

At Mildenhall, 36 Military Orchid in the experimental pit yesterday, most in fine fettle if slightly past their best. At Newmarket, 56 lizard orchids still fully closed. Couple of groups of pasque flowers still have the odd flower.

Are you separated from the military orchids by a fence?

 

[prhodes]

Gait Barrows was certainly at a state of perfection last Sunday at dawn when I was passing by. Just follow the arrows placed for the public. Awesome in the early morning sun!

Thanks Matthebirder, gave me confidence to visited today. Although most were starting to wither, some of the flowers were still in good order.

Thanks again, Phil

 

[broadbill]

Early Marsh & Gt Butterfly

A nice day out in Suffolk between the showers, two races of Early Marsh and Greater Butterfly Orchid. Common Spotteds and Southern Marsh also looking good.

 

[JCL]

Are you separated from the military orchids by a fence?

Steve

The main pit is fenced off; no access except for the annual open day. The adjacent 'experimental site' is fenced off solely to prevent browsing deer; it is unlocked and you can enter, provided you do not enter the roped-off area. You can still get close views of a few plants (ie photographable) from the rope.

But haven't you had enough for the weekend with the Pacific Swift?

 

[childhood memories]

Pale frog orchids

re-visited the site today - found another very pale frog lacking anthocyanin

 

[Steve Babbs]

Steve

The main pit is fenced off; no access except for the annual open day. The adjacent 'experimental site' is fenced off solely to prevent browsing deer; it is unlocked and you can enter, provided you do not enter the roped-off area. You can still get close views of a few plants (ie photographable) from the rope.

But haven't you had enough for the weekend with the Pacific Swift?

It will probably be next year. It's just that I'm usually away for the open day - I haven't seen them for a very long time - and I've never fancied photographing them through a fence! Good to know that it is possible to avoid this.

 

[brianr]

Is it.

I think this is a Northern Marsh Orchid, could any one confirm, and if im wrong explain why. Im not into plants but would like to learn a bit more.



These purple orchids do stretch my noggin a bit. ||