2016 UK Orchids (1 Viewer)

[leptochila]

Looking at that bottom leaf in your photo, I may be mistaken but from what I can see you'd struggle to make the ratio of length to width exceed 1.5.

Everything seems to point towards Broad-leaved.

Rich

I agree, I'm not really seeing anything different about this plant. It just looks a bit small and weedy but I'd like to be proved wrong!

Mike

 

[bustersymes]

Hi

I'd be very grateful if someone could message me with directions to the Wendover var rosea, and it would also be great to get any update on whether any Chilterns leptochila are still in a decent state. Planning a trip this weekend.

Thanks in advance!
Andy Symes

 

[jeffnsue]

Violet Helleborine

Violet Helleborine at Coalbrookdale today.
This roadside plant shone quite brightly in the shade of the woodland canopy and had a malformed floret towards the bottom of the spike. Can anyone put a name to this, I’ve heard the term “peloric” but have no real idea of its meaning.
Jeff Hodgson

 

[rmielcarek]

Violet Helleborine at Coalbrookdale today.
This roadside plant shone quite brightly in the shade of the woodland canopy and had a malformed floret towards the bottom of the spike. Can anyone put a name to this, I’ve heard the term “peloric” but have no real idea of its meaning.
Jeff Hodgson

In pelorism the flower retains the normal symmetry of 6 perianth segments but they are the 'wrong' shape eg instead of a lip, two petals and three sepals you get three petals and three sepals. Also it normally affects all the flowers

Yours isn't a peloric Jeff because your flower only has 4 perianth segments, two sepals and two petals. It's an aberrant flower.

Rich M

 

[jeffnsue]

Thank you Rich, I was surprised that only one flower was affected, I’d seen photographs of other plants described as ‘peloric’ and as you say all the flowers were affected. I’ve also seen other plants described as ‘peloric’ which by your description plainly aren’t peloric, notably in the Journal of the HOS, here, http://www.hardyorchidsociety.org.uk/HOS 1012/JHOS archive pdf/JHOS January 2008 medium.pdf What might cause this aberration in my purpurata?
Jeff

 

[rmielcarek]

What might cause this aberration in my purpurata?
Jeff

Pass on that Jeff, maybe the dry weather when the bud was forming?

Purpurata seems quite prone to having deformed flowers, a couple of years ago I found a few plants that had a number of flowers with a reduced number of perianth segments, wrote them up in the HOS Journal if I remember rightly. And just this morning, while checking my local colony I found a couple of flowers with a misformed lip, one more like a petal, no hypochile as such, but still with a violet boss, the other still had a hypochile but what looked like a petal welded alongside it.

Rich

 

[bustersymes]

Apologies for a repeat message but in case anyone didn't see the previous one and can help..

I'd be very grateful if someone could message me with directions to the Wendover var rosea, and it would also be great to get any update on whether any Chilterns leptochila are still in a decent state.

Heading in that direction tomorrow and happy to report back..
Cheers
Andy

 

[snlw]

Apologies for a repeat message but in case anyone didn't see the previous one and can help..

I'd be very grateful if someone could message me with directions to the Wendover var rosea, and it would also be great to get any update on whether any Chilterns leptochila are still in a decent state.

Heading in that direction tomorrow and happy to report back..
Cheers
Andy

If anyone would do the same for me regading the Wendover var. rosa I'd appreciate it.

Cheers, Simon

 

[JCL]

Violet Helleborine, Suffolk

We counted 14 Violet Helleborine at a Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserve today. Only one (a strapping beast) was beyond its best; otherwise were pretty nice. A few plants were still to open (if indeed they will this year). One was being continuously investigated (and possibly pollinated?) by a hoverfly that I think to be Baccha elongata. I think this species does perch on flowers, but it seemed to be doing a little more than that!

James

 

[fgrsimon]

Does anyone have sites/directions for Violet Helleborines and/or Autumn Lady's Tresses in Essex please?

I know VH's are found in Hatfield Forest but it's quite big!

 

[muba]

2016

Some of you will already know that I publish a record of orchid sightings and site visits. The 2016 season is just about over, so I have just updated everything and uploaded it to the net. You can read it here

 

[ladybee]

Some of you will already know that I publish a record of orchid sightings and site visits. The 2016 season is just about over, so I have just updated everything and uploaded it to the net. You can read it here

HI Steve - Your record/blog makes interesting reading, very enjoyable. I'm pleased to read that you did so well in Majorca. Anne

 

[John P Lee]

Hundreds of Autumn Lady's-tresses in flower and a lot more to come at Dawlish Warren, South Devon.

 

[Bodhyfryd]

ALT's in Shropshire

We checked on the ALT's at Llanymynech today. Sad to report, they were a rather meagre display. We counted a mere four flowering plants in the location where they have tended to flower historically, and even these were fairly paltry specimens - apparently beginning to go over, certainly past their best. The turf looked pretty brown, so I surmise that the conditions have been less than ideal locally for this species, although I note that in other parts of the UK they seem to have fared better. We have not yet been able to check out the relatively near population at Gop Hill, which is usually much larger.

Martin and Elaine

 

[aeshna5]

Found a small number of Autumn Lady's-tresses at Denbies hillside, Surrey on Monday whilst looking for butterflies.

 

[Allewes]

Autumn ladies tresses out now on the South Downs, full out on the whole, reduced numbers from typical years but with some search get found in expected places, and some new ones in suitable habitat - will hopefully visit a reliable prolific site but so far no more than around ten in any single location.

 

[John P Lee]

Anyone near South Devon the Autumn Lady's-tresses are at about their best now at Dawlish Warren far more than I have seen before. Unfortunately they are all in a location that has been designated as a flood defence area and when the sea eventually breaches the sand dunes on the Warren they will all be lost along with a good showing of Marsh Helleborine. Still hopefully a few more years to enjoy them before that happens.

 

[brianhodgkin]

Very good numbers of Autumn Lady's Tresses at a very dry Greenham Common yesterday.

 

[Allewes]

Anyone near South Devon the Autumn Lady's-tresses are at about their best now at Dawlish Warren far more than I have seen before. Unfortunately they are all in a location that has been designated as a flood defence area and when the sea eventually breaches the sand dunes on the Warren they will all be lost along with a good showing of Marsh Helleborine. Still hopefully a few more years to enjoy them before that happens.

Lovely atmospheric photos John

 

[Aya.bun]

We checked on the ALT's at Llanymynech today. Sad to report, they were a rather meagre display. We counted a mere four flowering plants in the location where they have tended to flower historically, and even these were fairly paltry specimens - apparently beginning to go over, certainly past their best. The turf looked pretty brown, so I surmise that the conditions have been less than ideal locally for this species, although I note that in other parts of the UK they seem to have fared better. We have not yet been able to check out the relatively near population at Gop Hill, which is usually much larger.

Martin and Elaine

On holiday in Chirk, but without a car, I was having difficulty finding a bus service that hadn't been changed or gone - so I have been saved a fruitless search by your report - sorry you did not have the expected sucess. Have seen reasonable numbers of ALT at Silverdale nearly 2 weeks ago and not so bad at Gt Orme this week.