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  1. G

    2017 UK orchids

    Beautiful sunny, yet rather draughty, day on the Purbeck coast yesterday. Thousands of early spiders (although numbers do seem to drop a bit more each year), about 70 green-winged orchids and a handful of early purples in flower. The usual variety in petal shape, colour and attempts at pelorism...
  2. G

    2016 UK Orchids

    Hello Steve, What about CSO var alpina? - never seen one, but possibly occurs in Wales, has darker flowers and would look slightly different from the other CSOs. Although the individual flowers themselves may be a bit wide on your plant. I'm still intrigued what you think it might actually be....
  3. G

    2016 UK Orchids

    Dropped in to Hartslock reserve on Saturday. I reckon the lady x monkeys are at their prime, so I wouldn't leave it much beyond next weekend before going. Also managed to see the first club-tail of the season in the trees as well as the Loddon lilies at the nearby reserve. Visited Parkgate Down...
  4. G

    2016 UK Orchids

    Personally, I don't think it matters too much whether Lindisfarne helleborine is a different species or not; it does look slightly different from dune and 'tyne' helleborine and it would be a shame to miss out exploring Lindisfarne and hopping across to the Farne Islands while you're there...
  5. G

    2015 UK Orchids

    Had a hunt through thousands of pyramidal orchids on the North Devon dunes on Friday, probably peak flowering now. Incredibly variable - ranging from 4-60cm tall, from the palest pink to deep magenta with the white from the 'throat' of the flowers extending down the central lobe to varying...
  6. G

    2015 UK Orchids

    Hi Rich, Interesting! Do you know if they had similar flowers last year? and if so, could they be the result of a liaison between a digger wasp, an ochroleuca and a normal fly?
  7. G

    2015 UK Orchids

    Did a trip through Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire yesterday. First bee orchid in flower at flybee site with a pyramidal opening a few florets. Site looking rather trampled, still some flybees in flower, but several snapped off. Couldn't see any fly orchids, although only looked from the...
  8. G

    2015 UK Orchids

    First pyramidal orchid flowering in Devon today, although still only a few Southern marsh around. Lots of common twayblade including 3 trifoliata (and one with a single basal leaf and a the second leaf halfway up the stem)
  9. G

    2015 UK Orchids

    Bird's-nest orchid and white helleborine just starting to poke their noses above ground in Surrey.
  10. G

    2014 UK Orchids

    I visited Noar Hill on Sunday. Still plenty of musks and pyramidals, a few frogs and several knapweed broomrape. The common twayblades are looking a bit tired, the common spotted even more so and the common fragrant virtually asleep with just a few washed-out florets on the top of the spikes.
  11. G

    2014 UK Orchids

    Visited the Outer Hebrides last week... and in my opinion it even surpasses The Burren in excellence! I was perhaps a wee bit early, but managed to track down Hebridean marsh, Lapland marsh, the diminutive late-flowering early purple and the first florets of 'Hebridean spotted' orchids. The...
  12. G

    2014 UK Orchids

    Still plenty of Early Purples in North Devon and Common Twayblades slowly opening. Early and Southern Marsh still just leaf at the moment...I'm feeling rather left behind this year! but I did find the first 5mm of a bee orchid spike just starting to appear from a tatty rosette!
  13. G

    2013 UK orchids

    ALTs still in tight bud in North Devon - 2 weeks later than normal...could this still be an effect of the late Spring?
  14. G

    2013 UK orchids

    The marsh helleborines have finally reached their peak in N Devon. One dune slack contains 4000 flowering spikes with 100 albiflora (no ochroleuca). There are also several plants that stand out as having a lower level of pigmentation. Could albiflora back-cross to give a flower with diluted...
  15. G

    2013 UK orchids

    Hi Mike I came across a very similar-looking D.x hallii the other day amongst Southern Marsh and Heath Spotted. The other suspicious feature was that the leaves had a few small and very faint spots on them. I'm impressed by your sequential butterfly orchid florets too which sway me in favour of...
  16. G

    2013 UK orchids

    Pyramidal emarginata Stumbled across several Pyramidal orchids with unlobed lips (emarginata) in Warwickshire whilst failing to find the bicolor bee a few days ago - tempered the disappointment considerably. Sorry for lack of photos, I seem to get on better with real paperclips than computer...
  17. G

    2013 UK orchids

    The first of the marsh helleborines now flowering in North Devon, but most still just bud or leaf. Tons of pyramidals, a few bees left, but most of southern marsh going over. Enjoy the sunshine!
  18. G

    2013 UK orchids

    Plenty of pyramidals flowering in North Devon now, Southern Marsh at peak/going over, Early Marsh past their best.
  19. G

    2013 UK orchids

    Drove by a few days ago. Enclosure quite overgrown. Plants still a way off flowering. Bird's-nest, common twayblade and white helleborine still flowering well at nearby site. No musks seen, but didn't look too hard.
  20. G

    2013 UK orchids

    Hi Mike I would say that it is complementary to the Harrap's other book 'Orchids of Britain and Ireland - A Field and Site Guide' which I wouldn't be without. However, 'Harrap's Wild Flowers' simplifies identification of hundreds of the other wild flowers you are likely to encounter too. For...
  21. G

    2013 UK orchids

    Hi there, Just wanted to let you know that "Harrap's Wild Flowers" is now published. I got my copy this morning, and it's absolutely fantastic with incredibly clear photos and short descriptions of hundreds of wild flowers including 39 of the orchids, 6 broomrapes and all the other flowers you...
  22. G

    2013 UK orchids

    Just returned from the Burren - the locals reckon Spring had been 5 weeks behind, but after the few warm days in early May, it's now only 3 weeks late! After a LOT of hunting in gale force winds, hailstorms and sunshine, I found: Several Dense-flowered orchids in bloom and another 40 in bud. A...
  23. G

    2013 UK orchids

    The first Common Twayblade flowers opening in Devon today about 3 weeks later than last year. Lots of Early Purples and a few Green-winged flowering, and rosettes of Heath Spotted and Southern Marsh x Common Spotted still quite a way off.
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