2016 UK Orchids (1 Viewer)

[rmielcarek]

A new colony of Dune Helleborines has been found in Warwickshire near Solihull. A lady on Facebook posted pics asking for an ID this evening and I've confirmed them as undoubtedly that species. This is the most southerly site in the UK and a first for the county.

Good stuff Mike, one wonders how many other helleborine colonies are waiting to be reidentified?

Some colonies seem to be ephemeral, one local one has just reappeared after a 5 year absence!

Rich

 

[maslyni]

A new colony of Dune Helleborines has been found in Warwickshire near Solihull. A lady on Facebook posted pics asking for an ID this evening and I've confirmed them as undoubtedly that species. This is the most southerly site in the UK and a first for the county.

Have you a link to the pics please? Not questioning the ID, I just have a rather unhealthy obsession with Epipactis in general and dunensis particularly

Good stuff Mike, one wonders how many other helleborine colonies are waiting to be reidentified?

Rich

There are undoubtedly many. I have redetermined several such in recent years. Most had originally been identified as E. helleborine, however one (in N Lincs) had originally been determined (by someone who I will not name in order to spare his blushes) as E. phyllanthes. I also recall seeing pics on here a few years ago of an early flowering population on a Wigan(?) retail park which the poster had identified as E. helleborine but which seemed quite obviously E. dunensis. I did request the site details I order to check it out but never heard back and have been too busy with the Alchemilla handbook to research further. Shouldn't be too difficult to suss it out though

It would be very interesting to have some DNA on these inland populations which, although often long established, misidentified populations of other Epipactis spp, also seem to be colonising new (often waste) sites. Shades of the populations on some of the Scottish bings which have been shown to be introgressed with E. helleborine

Mark

 

[ionh]

Late Burnts

Hi Steve,

Have there been any sightings of late flowering Burnt Orchids in Wiltshire yet (or somewhere closer to N. Wales)?

There's a new posting on the HOS forum reporting "over 100 Burnt Orchids yesterday"....i don't know of any sites closer to you (or me!)

Cheers
ian

 

[Ghostly Vision]

Yes, Bald Hill; it was a tiny plant (well, the cardinal beetle gives some sense of scale). This was almost exactly a month after my first frog of the year -- also fairly green, albeit not quite as monochrome or fluorescent.

With hindsight, i realise that we probably met yesterday -- if you're the chap with a deep knowledge of narrow-lipped helleborine locations, a Mexico T-shirt, and a striking resemblance to the young Tom Cruise (but taller)... |=)|
ian

Haha, yes, we must have met, but that is not a very good description of me!

 

[Ghostly Vision]

A new colony of Dune Helleborines has been found in Warwickshire near Solihull. A lady on Facebook posted pics asking for an ID this evening and I've confirmed them as undoubtedly that species. This is the most southerly site in the UK and a first for the county.

I visited the site yesterday, having seen the very convincing photo's. Unfortunately the plant in the photo's was unusual in terms of the whole colony (of about 40 plants), in that it was the only one (currently in flower) without a viscidium.

As such, the plants appear to be the "duneslack" version of Broad-leaved Helleborine, very similar to those at Kenfig for example, often referred to as "youngiana". They are mostly sickly green in the whole foliage, with a rosette of pointed leaves at the base, a pale flower identical in colour to Dunensis, but without the very strongly recurved outer lip. As I say, they are all cross-pollinated.

Whilst disappointing from a species point of view, this is the first colony of this type that I have seen away from the coastal dunes, and may be present in this form on account of the habitat, which is an old sand and gravel workings.

I have photo's still on the memory card and will post them when I have processed them.

 

[muba]

Hi Steve,


There's a new posting on the HOS forum reporting "over 100 Burnt Orchids yesterday"....i don't know of any sites closer to you (or me!)

Cheers
ian

Many thaks Ian looks promising

 

[leptochila]

Many thaks Ian looks promising

These are at Ladle Hill in North Hampshire.

Mike

 

[drdavid]

please confirm this is marsh fragrant?

Found on Devon Dorest border tonight . think i have got the right one at last!

 

[leptochila]

Found on Devon Dorest border tonight . think i have got the right one at last!

Yes, definitely.

 

[Living Rocks]

I also recall seeing pics on here a few years ago of an early flowering population on a Wigan(?) retail park which the poster had identified as E. helleborine but which seemed quite obviously E. dunensis.

Hi Mark, Do you have any clues at all on the Wigan E. dunensis, I’m very close & could do a little scouting around. It wouldn’t surprise me to find it in Wigan, it’s close to the St Helens plants and even closer to plants which I found a couple of years ago at Three Sisters Recreation Area. I’m also watching a plant near Rivington which I suspect is E. dunensis, unfortunately its right by a roadside & for the past 2 years has been snapped off before the flowers have opened, I’m going up there this weekend, hopefully this time I’ll get to see it flower, it seems to be a one off, I’ve looked all around the area & can’t find any more plants

 

[jeffnsue]

Bog Orchid

Just back from a week in Mull where the wind blew all week, though the temperature reached a dizzy 13c on one day. Caught up with Bog Orchid and fell flat on my backside in the bog after taking it’s photo. This plant was c5cm tall
JMH

 

[Connor Rand]

I also recall seeing pics on here a few years ago of an early flowering population on a Wigan(?) retail park which the poster had identified as E. helleborine but which seemed quite obviously E. dunensis. I did request the site details I order to check it out but never heard back and have been too busy with the Alchemilla handbook to research further. Shouldn't be too difficult to suss it out though
Mark

It was a Bolton retail park Mark. Thought I'd sent site details - apologies if I didn't. Happy to at any point, drop me a PM with an email address

p.s. for those trying to PM me inbox now cleared - apologies!

 

[maslyni]

Hi Mark, Do you have any clues at all on the Wigan E. dunensis, I’m very close & could do a little scouting around. It wouldn’t surprise me to find it in Wigan, it’s close to the St Helens plants and even closer to plants which I found a couple of years ago at Three Sisters Recreation Area. I’m also watching a plant near Rivington which I suspect is E. dunensis, unfortunately its right by a roadside & for the past 2 years has been snapped off before the flowers have opened, I’m going up there this weekend, hopefully this time I’ll get to see it flower, it seems to be a one off, I’ve looked all around the area & can’t find any more plants

Hey matey, long time no speak

Looks like I misremembered, Bolton not Wigan. Still look more like E. dunensis from the pic, but as we know images can be deceiving. Looks like I may be heading west this weekend. Exciting :-O

Hope you are well

 

[Living Rocks]

Hey matey, long time no speak

Looks like I misremembered, Bolton not Wigan. Still look more like E. dunensis from the pic, but as we know images can be deceiving. Looks like I may be heading west this weekend. Exciting :-O

Hope you are well

Everything’s fine here; hope things are good with you.

If heading west means over to Bolton, I’ll send you the location of my Rivington possible, hopefully it will manage to flower this year and we can confirm its identity before it gets snapped off by a passing walker (Its very vulnerable growing in a narrow crack between a popular tarmac footpath & a wall) if it turns out to be just E. helleborine, it’s still a lovely area to visit & is only about a 20 minute drive from Bolton.

I agree with you regarding DNA studies on these inland plants, they are easily identifiable, but to me there is something about the general feel of the plants that differs from the coastal form, Cheers, John

 

[muba]

I agree with you regarding DNA studies on these inland plants, they are easily identifiable, but to me there is something about the general feel of the plants that differs from the coastal form, Cheers, John

There may be something to be learned from these.

 

[Ghostly Vision]

Everything’s fine here; hope things are good with you.

If heading west means over to Bolton, I’ll send you the location of my Rivington possible, hopefully it will manage to flower this year and we can confirm its identity before it gets snapped off by a passing walker (Its very vulnerable growing in a narrow crack between a popular tarmac footpath & a wall) if it turns out to be just E. helleborine, it’s still a lovely area to visit & is only about a 20 minute drive from Bolton.

I agree with you regarding DNA studies on these inland plants, they are easily identifiable, but to me there is something about the general feel of the plants that differs from the coastal form, Cheers, John

Blimey John, you're back!! Was only talking about you the other day, finding the Derbyshire Burnts on account of a photographer kneeling over something on the distant hillside!

 

[maslyni]

Everything’s fine here; hope things are good with you.

If heading west means over to Bolton, I’ll send you the location of my Rivington possible, hopefully it will manage to flower this year and we can confirm its identity before it gets snapped off by a passing walker (Its very vulnerable growing in a narrow crack between a popular tarmac footpath & a wall) if it turns out to be just E. helleborine, it’s still a lovely area to visit & is only about a 20 minute drive from Bolton. Cheers, John

Yes it does mean hopefuly heading over to Bolton, providing Connor manages to get the gen over to me tonight. So, yes, please do send the Rivington gen also & I will take a look. Same email addy as previously

Thanks John

Mark

 

[ionh]

Fingers burnt

These are at Ladle Hill in North Hampshire.

Oops yes, not Ladle Hill in Wiltshire! Hard to believe that i did get O-level [sic] geography...

ian
[former psychochila]

 

[Benjamin Ofield]

Alyn waters

Thanks to everyone for the info about Alyn waters I managed to see my first Dune helleborine today. There were loads in flower in the trees behind the visitor centre/cafe a very good day out, also White faced darter and Large Heath at whixhall moss on the way back home.

Cheers Ben

 

[dhpbwd]

Hi

Hoping to get up to the North-East next weekend. Would anyone please be able to supply information on Tyne and Young's Helleborine?

Many thanks

David