Cypripedium 2012

[Tony Willis]

Shelagh

I went to see them last year and although they were wonderful I think you have got an even better flowering year. They seem to be establishing very well over a wide area.

One I saw last year in May,this was the best clump.

[shelagh]

They certainly seem to be happy in their situation Tony.  Long may it last.

[Anthony Darby]

Such a shame that they had to be brought back from the brink. Let's hope they are left for all who see them to enjoy. My fascination with these legendary plants began with the Brooke Bond "Wild Flower" cards, and listening to my Grandmother, who collected and pressed wild flowers.

[Stephen Vella]

Its a wonder that theres not a chain wire fence surrounding the area....and its good to hear that Kew's efforts in conservation is working for these orchids.

thanks for showing

[Anthony Darby]

The one remaining original plant was in a cage. Rumour has it for many years the flowers were removed to protect it from thieves?

[Tim Ingram]

I wonder if public sensibilities to rare native plants like Cypripedium calceolus now would mean that the likelyhood of damage to colonies was reduced these days? I live in hope. Very lovely to see them establishing like this and it must indicate that the prospect of much wider spread in the future is hopeful. The greatest success will be when they begin to appear from natural seeding which will also reduce the need for such careful policing. May be a while I imagine.

[John Aipassa]

Unfortunately we don't have Cypripedium calceolus growing native in The Netherlands.

Although in 2009 a discovery was made in the most southern part of The Netherlands in Limburg province in a protected calcareous grass land. See the photo below from the discoverer.

Was this a spectacular new find? Having a Lady Slipper Orchid growing native in The Netherlands would have been quite awesome. The habitat was very suitable for this orchid to germinate and grow, but than it would have been seed from the nearest location in the neighbouring German Bundesland Nordrhein-Westfalen, which is still a few hundred kilometers away from the Dutch location.

So scientists did some field and desk research and with the help of Michael Fay of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew the DNA could be traced to an Austrian line of calceolus. Therefore the plant was unfortunately planted  . The results of the research were published in Dutch publication "Het Natuurhistorisch Maandblad" edition November 2010.

[Tony Willis]

The one remaining original plant was in a cage. Rumour has it for many years the flowers were removed to protect it from thieves?

I once went to see the one remaining plant only about five years ago and it was a poor thing growing in a hedgerow. It had one half eaten flower and was easily identified by the large frame tent pitched next to it supposedly occupied by a guardian who was absent no doubt because it was cold and raining.A total anticlimax.

 A couple of years later somebody tore the top growth off but did not remove the roots and this seemed to spur it into better growth.

The ones planted via the Kew project are much finer specimens growing in the open and doing well.

[Anthony Darby]

This is good news for the species Tony, but sad about the original plant. With the changing UK climate it might now be time to bite the bullet and find new habitats for it. Arnside Knot in Cumbria is the last English locality for the Scotch argus butterfly (Erebia aethiops), which is common in the Scottish borders (and from north and west of Tyndrum in Glen Lochy, but that environment would be unsuitable). The butterfly used to be found at Grassmere in Yorkshire too.

[Roma]

I returned on Friday from the AGS Gardens of Gothenburg trip.  One of the highlights was a visit to Kinnekulle, 'flowering mountain' 150km NE of Gothenburg.  We were led into a wood along a path which became a boardwalk as the soil got wetter.  We expected to see a few clumps of Cyprepedium calceolus and to have to queue for photographs.  What we saw was quite overwhelming.  A large are full of Cyps was roped off and a circular path off the main path allowed us all to spread out and take pictures of as many clumps as we wished.  Our guide Gerben Tjeerdsma said he had been there 4 or 5 times before but this was the best he had seen them.  I feel we were very privileged to see such a sight.   

[Maggi Young]

My word, I think the phrase used is "locally plentiful"  

 Worth the trip for that alone, eh, Roma ?

[angie]

Roma that's amazing, what a beautiful sight all those Cypripediums must have been  . Something that I would have thoroughly enjoyed if I had been there.
Thanks for sharing with us.

Angie 

[Maren]

Hear, hear!!! what a wonderful scene. The timing just perfect. Interesting to see some multifloral Cyp. calceolus.  Thank you.

[Melvyn Jope]

Cypripedium kentuckiense, a gift from a kind forumist.

[Anthony Darby]

Healthy calceolus usually has more than one flower per stem. This site/sight is amazing. Thanks for posting these pics Roma. It must have been a magical experience?