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2010 UK Orchid season updates (1 Viewer)

News from Lincolnshire (for anyone interested!)

Greater Butterfly Orchids at their best at sev mid Lincs sites.
Frog Orchids in good numbers and at their best at the mid Lincs site
Man Orchids down in numbers but currently in flower (per the Jennings) at the classic south Lincs site
Bee Orchids still tight in bud in mid Lincs. Need another week or two.
Good numbers of Green-flowered Helleborine emerging at the only Lincs site, but obviously need more time before flowering.

Also; no sign of any Birds-nest Orchids at the mid Lincs site, apparently having a year off. Have not checked for Burnt-tip Orchid in Lincs this year but I guess they should be at their best by now, unless anyone knows different.

Cheers

Grahame

Hi Grahame

The Derbyshire Burnts are past their best already.

If there are looking like good numbers of phyllanthes at your site maybe we could meet up in July and have a look?

Regards

Sean
 
Chappett's Copse

Most/all of the Sword-leaved Helleborines have gone over and the Bird's-Nest are slightly passed their best. A few Common Twayblades and Common Spotted are out along with some lovely White Helleborines. All in all a lovely hours walk.

robhope

Egrets, I've had a few.
 

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Kent

Late Spider Orchid in flower in the traditional Kent location. Also nearby Monkey Orchid, Fragrant Orchid, Common Spotted Orchid and one Greater Butterfly Orchid (showing wear).
 
At Warburg, plenty of Greater Butterfly in flower, as well as Common Spotted and Common Twayblade. The wardens have a map showing where Birds Nest (several good spikes) and White helleborine are. One or two spikes of Fly still in the wildlife garden.
At Noar Hill, White Helleborine, Common Spotted Common Twayblade and Common Fragrant are abundant. Pyramidal still in bud but breaking. Apparently, the locals are saying that things in the region like Musk and Frog will not be out for a couple of weeks or so.
 
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The lincs Burnt-tips where out the wekend of the 30th May, with around 40 flowering plants. They were very short compared with 3 years ago.

Mark
 
Hi Grahame

The Derbyshire Burnts are past their best already.

If there are looking like good numbers of phyllanthes at your site maybe we could meet up in July and have a look?

Regards

Sean

Sean

Sorry for the late reply, been 'out of town' for a couple of days.

No problems with the phyllanthes. I'll contact you when they are just before their best and let you know numbers, directions etc.

Cheers

Grahame
 
Checked a few sites out yesterday around Northants/Leics/Rutland/Lincs borders!
The orchids I saw included lots of Man Orchids, Fragrant Orchids, and Pyramidal Orchids at Barnack NNR, near Stamford.
Also I found at least 10 Fly Orchids and 2 Common Twayblades at Wakerley Woods and at the Lincs/Rutland Limestone corridor I found small numbers of Pyramidal Orchids. In Rutland I saw 50+ Southern Marsh Orchids at the Pickworth A1 triangle.
If you would directions for these orchids can you PM me.
Cheers,
Dave.
http://davidearlgray.blogspot.com/
 
Lesser Butterflies in good nick at Dunsdon Farm, East devon.

Sad to see the swathes of Bee Orchids at Pine Hill Ind Estate, Exeter have disappeared over the years - single pyramidal near the tennis courts just emerging. Nicola refused to give up and eventually found one lonely Bee orchid in a most uncharacteristic spot almost on the pavement by the road. Two flowers out several more to come with a bit of luck, but it looks rather vulnerable to accidental trampling.
 
Frog Orchids looking good this year in Shetland. Reasonable numbers, and in fine condition at the moment.

ce
 

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What a lovely colour - the ones here are very green.
Went to my favourite Bee Orchid site this evening - only found two plants, there were lots last year, and numbers of Common Spotted and Marsh seem to be down on last year too.
 
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I've had a better 'orchid season' so far this year than last year. I was too late last year and only got to see some stalks and seed heads!
This year I've been lucky enough to see Early-Marsh, Bee, and Pyramidal so far. That's brilliant for me and if I see any more that will just be a bonus.
 
Dear All, Found two Fen Orchids in flower at the traditional site in S Wales. There appeared to be two more spikes of the same species about to flower and possible two or three other plants all within a few feet of one another. Unfortunately they are close to a path so could easily be trampled by those not actively keeping a look out. Also within a few feet of the plants were what appeared to be either horse or cow tracks which giving the nature of the ground had left impressions a few inches deep. Also many Southern Marsh Orchids and Pyramidal Orchids in flower. The warden was concerned about the population as they have had a drastic decrease in number and only had 18spikes last year.
 
A check last weekend revealed no Red helleborine plants at the Hampshire site - the second year in a row that none have appeared, and the seventh year since they flowered there.

Star of the day was an "ochroleuca" Fly orchid in Hampshire (which will be past its best now) and a sinlge Wasp orchid in Warwickshire. A few Bee up the road, but no var bicolor yet - though there may be because not all were in flower.

Fen orchids are in flower in Norfolk.

Pics show the wonderful Fly orchid, plus a wasp trying to get jiggy with a normal pne (sorry about pic - it flew off after only one shot), and a Wasp orchid.

The wasp species would appear to be either Eumenes coarctatus (Potter wasp) or Gymnomerus laevipes - can anyone help?

Sean
 

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Dear All,
If any of you drop in onto the Lizard Orchid at Bristol later this year I would be happy to hear the number of flowering spikes there as been asked recently to monitor population for an updated management plan. I think flowering numbers will be low there again this year.
Talking to the conservation officer she told me that as many as 15 rosettes were dug up at the site a few years after this population was discovered.
The trouble is we cannot watch over these sites 24 hours but I wish there was a way at times we could.

Brian Laney.

Brian

I had a look this morning and found 13 flowering stems, a couple still in bud.

I was also pleased to find a couple of Greater Butterfly surviving on the other side.

Rich M
 
frog orchids

Was planning to go out and look for frog orchid at an east anglian site today but put off by the weather. Not sure if seen at the site this year. Could not find frog orchids there in the past.

Did find the species three years ago in Yorkshire.
 
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Brian

I had a look this morning and found 13 flowering stems, a couple still in bud.

I was also pleased to find a couple of Greater Butterfly surviving on the other side.

Rich M
Dear Rich M,
Many thanks for the update. That has beaten the number of flowering plants of last year at the site. I heard it was around about seven last year.

Brian Laney.
 
No Lizards in Oxon this year

And on the subject of my favorite orchid I checked the single Oxfordshire locality on Sunday 20th and found no flowering plants of Lizard Orchid. I will have to have a look at rosette time to see if any are up then. Of course there will be no flowers at that time of year.

Brian Laney.
 
Just noticed this thread so I thought I would post a shot I got today of what I believe to be a Pyramidal orchid. I guess these are fairly common in most parts of the UK.
 

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