Ghost orchid re-discovered in England (1 Viewer)

Do I have your attention?


That might be the headline this year.

I visited the Marlow site for Ghost orchid with Brian Laney yesterday and we searched for 2.5 hours with no luck.

However, there were a couple of nice Narrow-lipped helleborines, but more significantly, two patches of Yellow Bird's-nest - one of which was the largest either Brian or myself had ever seen.

Why is this significant I hear you Ghost-hunters ask? Well, the conditions that YBN require to flourish are almost identical to those that Ghost needs.

As such, this is the closest indicator that conditions are right for Ghost to flower this year in the UK. From the past records I have, YBN crops up several times as growing close by, and also when I saw Ghost in Germany two years ago, there were patches of YBN in the wood nearby.

It is also not too early for Ghost orchid to be flowering at the Marlow site; it last flowered here in 1987, when it was found around the 15th July and it was all over by 24th. In past years here it has been discovered from mid-July through to late August.

I will not divulge the site on this public forum, but please treat this as a request to those who do know the site to make an effort to visit as often as you can from now through the next few weeks. This really could be the year of the Ghost.

If you do find it, it is important to let people knowIMMEDIATELY for a number of reasons:

1. To confirm the re-occurrence of the species via corroboration of your sighting. It will be a massively important event which needs as much detail as possible.

2. To ensure the plant/s can be monitored and wardened to protect them from both people and natural predators such as slugs, deer etc.

3. Potentially to protect them from accidental damage such as horse-riders, cyclists, car drivers etc. (There is a burned-out car in the wood and Horse-riders, Motorcyclists and pedal cyclists were all going through there yesterday). There are a number of ways this can be done and the most suitable need to be assesed quickly.

Protection from slugs is the primary reason to get news to someone quickly. However, news travels fast however hard one tries to prevent it, so protection from people might be the next thing that needs to be carried out. Given the number of people who twitched the LadyXMonkey hybrids in Oxon last year, the re-appearance of Ghost is likely to be a major event that needs to be managed properly. There are plenty of people, myself included, willing to give up time to do so.

The main point of this Email is not to preach, but to alert people of the real possibility that the species might re-appear this year, and to request that as many people as possible who know the site visit to check, as this is the only sure way for this to happen. Hopefully see you there!!!!

Regards

Sean

Ghostly Vision said:

Do I have your attention?


That might be the headline this year.

Click to expand...

Blinking nora GV - You nearly gave me an anurism!

coincidently this was on Yahoo this evening.

Ghost Orchid discovered at Corkscrew.

ghost orchid

Hi Sean, how are you? How do i go about e mailing you? do i give you my real e mail adress (no problem) or is there a cunning way of doing it within the forum? I am a bit of a forum virgin so don't know the protocols and so on.

i know Brian quite well, we have corrresponded many times and been out botanising a few times too......gt yellow rattle at Banstead comes to mind..!

I have searched the Ghost orchid sites i know of in bucks etc...which will be the sites Brian knows i am sure....it is always a pleasure going to them but always a dissapointment coming away from them if you see what i mean. Any help i can give in the UK search i am up for...just let me know. An up to date map of Huffingen would be great.....i was thinking of going around the weekend of 21st july...does that sound about right to you??

all the very best

dave

Sean

I knew of a spot in Surrey with YBNs growing (going back 40 years and it was my very own discovery which caused a lot of excitement at the time). That site was severely damaged in the 1987 hurricane but you've made it worth my while to check this out again after all this time and see what's occuring. I'll let you know what I find.

Can you remind me if now is the time for YBNs to be emerging/flowering.

It must be a feel good year for orchids as I've come across more pyramidal and bee orchids this year than I have for some time. need to check out lots of othew local sites as well

Steve

You make me interested. There must be some way to detect this orchid underground?

Hello all,

Tris - you'd have known a little before logging on to BF so never worry.

Dave - you can Email me by clicking on my BF name and a drop-down menu will appear. One of the options will be "Send an Email to Ghostly Vision". I would not recommend you post your Email address onto the public forum.

Steve - as you can see from my pic, YBN is past its absolute best, but there were three plants in perfect flower out of about 80. I was speaking to a friend who saw Ghost at Marlow in the 1980's and he says it is the first time he is aware that YBN has flowered there since then. More circumstantial evidence that the two are indicators of each other. If you happen to find Ghost in Surrey may I recommend you prepare yourself by getting my mobile number off me before looking??

Jurek - good to hear from you. How one would detect the species underground I'm not sure. The roots develop in the soil as with Bird's nest Orchid, not the leaf litter. Ariel shoots could be detected in the litter, indeed one of the methods of looking for Ghosts is to turn leaves in likely areas.

Maybe a gentle blast of air from a garden vaccum around the woodland floor would be a decent idea?

Will be out looking again during the next week.

Sean

An update on the search.

At least eight people have now been out looking for Ghost since 10th July, in Bucks, Oxon and Worcs. A total of 30+ man-hours have been put in during that time, to no avail.

Today I visited the original site in Worcestershire, and after avoiding two flooded roads found the site devastated by Friday's weather. The Sapey Brook, on the banks of which the species has been found, was a raging torrent. The water has washed away some of the bank and dumped more mud and debris in its place. If Ghost was due for a re-appearance here, it won't be this year now!

The Chilterns sites were getting a little dry by last Thursday, but Friday's weather will have revitalized it somewhat.

There were people searching the Chilterns today, but I've had no phonecall...

Regards

Sean

Dear Sean ,
I did about an eight hour search in three Chiltern sites today but no luck. Did meet good orchid friends from Oldham who saw " The Nessie of British Orchids " back in 1986. We joined forces today but did see Yellow Birds Nest in two of the three sites.
I am still planning to check throughout the season. This is my 17th year of searching. Even if it takes me a lifetime I am going to keep trying in the British Isles for the Ghost Orchid.

Yesterday's three hour search at two sites produced no Ghosts, but there is a proliferance of fruiting fungi in certain parts of the wood at Marlow.

There is also a patch of 15 Yellow Bird's-nest at Lambridge wood, and the habitat there is extremely good this year. This site has not had Ghost since the 70's(?) so is a long shot, but conditions there, and the presence of YBN, is a very good sign.

I'm confident that with the coverage that the Chilterns are getting this year (will be quite a group looking on Saturday, and another search next Weds), it might be the Big One this year.

I will shortly be posting a picture of a new device that is, according to a contact from Germany where it has been used, an extremely good way of detecting Ghosts, even if they are hidden under leaf-litter. I will post it when I have it.

Cheers

Sean

Is it built by Black & Decker or Flymo?

Dear All ,
A good botanical friend of mine form the Isle of Wight has said to me that the Ghost Orchid could well need the cold Winters that we are not getting nowadays. A wet Spring followed by thundery wet spells during the Summer are useful. With all these ideas going around I have decided to do a search each year anyway even though after 8 hours looking at beech leaf litter your eyes start playing tricks. Better get a can of Red Bull to keep us going!!

Isn't a good method of looking for Ghost Orchid supposed to be with a torch at night.... or is that dogging??

Phil

Hi Phil

That is a well-repeated "fact", but I have to say that Ghosts aren't so difficult to spot that this would be required. The difficulty with them is that the Beech leaves can cover them rather than them being invisible against the background.

Cheers

Sean

Dear Sean and all,
Had a search at two locations but no luck just yet. If you see two cages near one of the pits , I have caged two Violet Helleborines that have been stripped to bits by deer for this year but should be better next year if the cages are not ripped up by some idot or knocked over by deer.

Ghostly Vision said:

There is also a patch of 15 Yellow Bird's-nest at Lambridge wood, and the habitat there is extremely good this year. This site has not had Ghost since the 70's(?) so is a long shot, but conditions there, and the presence of YBN, is a very good sign

Click to expand...

Hi Sean,
Is any of the YBN in good nick or, more to the point, is there much likelihood of any being in good nick this coming week-end? Might take a trip down there Saturday and have a look, along with a stroll around Aston Rowant and a couple of jars in the Leathern Bottle.B
Cheers
Phil

Whereabouts in Marlow is this? I am already going down to Marlow next week.

Phil/Nick

Please EMail me privately.

I will be checking out the sites tomorrow so can update you then.

Phil - the YBN at Lambridge was just emerging last week, so should be okay. It does go over pretty quickly though. Here is a pic.

Cheers

Sean

The search for the Ghost continues....

Dear All ,
I checked for 5 hours 2 sites for the Ghost in the Chilterns on Thurs and about 8 hours at the same 2 sites in the Chilterns on Saturday with orchid friends from Oldham. A third site is getting checked on Sunday in the Chilterns. No luck just yet but there is still plenty of time yet. I must thank the people who are also getting out to have a go and help in this years search.

Lizard Orchid { Brian Laney }