UK wild orchids 2013

[Maggi Young]

A couple of miles down the road and England's most northerly man orchid colony is thriving and spreading, again along a roadside verge.  So here's a question.  If it's England's most northerly colony does that make it the world's most northerly?

  My knowledge of the distribution of the Man Orchid  (Orchis anthropophora, (syn.Aceras anthropophorum, Himantoglossum anthropophorum etc) is not extensive - but I'd guess that "yours" might well represent the most northerly population - unless  (as they used to say on an old UK TV programme ) you know better, Forumists!

[Peter Maguire]

(I think it is an Dact hybrid swarm).

The flowers are superficially like D. fuchsii, but more vigorous, so they are probably D. fuchsii x D. ..........
Do you have photos of the leaves as well?

[Corrado & Rina]

Hi SteveC2, we have man orchid here on the North York Moors .... which I suppose are north of you (correct me if I am wrong).

@Peter: will go back and capture a couple of shots of the leaves.

[SteveC2]

Yes it is way further north but, and there had to be a but didn't there, if there are man orchids in Yorkshire, especially the north Yorkshire moors, it's going to cause a lot of revisions in the orchid books because none of them seem to know about it . 
South Lincolnshire is reckoned to be as far up as they go, hence my belief that my local colony was the most northerly.

[SteveC2]

An evening visit to one of the Lincolnshire Limewoods, supposedly in search of bird's nest orchids, hoping that they might be late this year like so many of the orchids.
Failed!
But it's hard to be too disappointed when the rides are lined with so many common spotted orchids and the greater butterfly orchids are still in flower under the canopy.  Sorry about the photo quality, it's dark in the wood at the best of times, last night by eight o'clock it was virtually pitch black!  Spooky as hell and the air was filled with the sound of mosquito buzzing and muntjac deer calling.  I think it is the deer that have levelled every twayblade in the wood.

[Maren]

Fabulous site, thanks for sharing.

[Maggi Young]

An evening visit to one of the Lincolnshire Limewoods, supposedly in search of bird's nest orchids, hoping that they might be late this year like so many of the orchids.
Failed!
But it's hard to be too disappointed when the rides are lined with so many common spotted orchids and the greater butterfly orchids are still in flower under the canopy.  Sorry about the photo quality, it's dark in the wood at the best of times, last night by eight o'clock it was virtually pitch black!  Spooky as hell and the air was filled with the sound of mosquito buzzing and muntjac deer calling. I think it is the deer that have levelled every twayblade in the wood.

Fantastic site.  Given the number of Platanthera and Dacts still showing, it does suggest that the Muntjac do not find them tasty -  you'd wonder wouldn't you, what the difference is?  I hope I am not speaking too soon and the deer are moving onto these species next..... 

[K Andrzejewski]

Steve - your photo could be a school-example to understand the main differences between Dactylorhiza fuchsii and maculata: the first one, plants relative smaller and slender, second one - clearly massive, strong.
Watching this all sites just make me a pain - no time for trips...
Kristof

[SteveC2]

Over to the Lincolnshire coast this after noon for an amazing display of Southern Marsh Orchids.  The first dune slack that I looked in was impressive (photos 1 and 2) but the next took my breath away.

[SteveC2]

And a couple of close ups of the Southerns, plus a group including what I think is a going over Early Marsh Orchid, and one of the few pyramidals that are starting to gate crash the dactylorhiza party.

[Maggi Young]

Good grief!!! I've heard of locally plentiful, but this is just mind blowing! What an incredible scene. 

[Anthony Darby]

I second that Maggi. It must have been incredible to approach and see them.  That burnet caterpillar in a previous post would possibly be looking for a spot to pupate as they don't feed on orchids.

[K Andrzejewski]

One my countryman took this pictures two years ago :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54255865@N00/sets/72157626657557761/with/5748565602/

[SteveC2]

Kristof, I know Piotr well, as he attends many of the shows that we go to, and am a fan of his photography.  His dacts were up at Cleethorpes, mine near Skegness, but they are to be found all around the Lincolnshire coast and on into Norfolk and certainly make a fantastic display.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Pyramidal orchid seen growing on the banks of the Royal Military Canal near Appledore, Kent yesterday.