Orchid year Part 1 - The Early ones
I have done this blog just for fun and to look back on in the future. I am pretty new to Orchids and I'm still very much in learning phase. This year I planned to try and take in a lot of new orchids so a very steep learning curve. Thank you to the people out there I have come cross who have helped me locate and ID certain orchids, and my travel buddy for many of the trips Adrian.
The year started with a giant bang, quite literally. We found ourselves near Didcot in Oxfordshire in mid March on the hunt for Giant Orchids. Normally found in the Mediterranean a handful of these orchids had been discovered a few years ago on a steep slope here in Oxfordshire. Their range is said to be moving northwards with globally warming but no one is entirely sure how these ended up here. That’s not a question I’m here to answer. I haven’t revealed the exact location as these are extremely rare and probably the only ones within the UK.
Having seen some pictures on social media we planned our trip so we would see them at their best. We arrived at the location and took the short walk to the rumoured site. They are on a very steep slope that took a bit of negotiating but safely at the bottom we soon saw the pink flowers of several Giant Orchids. They weren’t as big as I thought they would be and some looked a little lost in the long grass. Still fantastic to see and not something that was on my orchid radar a few years ago. I don’t think they are even on the British list. They certainly aren’t featured in my British orchid reference book. I use Britain's Orchids by Sean Cole and Mike Waller its a great reference guide and has come in very handy over the last few years. Also of note in the area was a pair of Red Kite at a nest site and some Yellowhammers.
Giant Orchid, Oxfordshire, March 2024
Giant Orchid, Oxfordshire, March 2024
I had hoped to head to the Dorset coast again this year to see the Early Spider Orchids but sadly time didn’t allow. These are a pretty rare orchid only found in a few places in the UK and I was lucky enough to spend a day in April 2023 photographing these beauties. Although not seen this year below is a couple of pictures from last years trip.
Early Spider Orchid, Dorset, April 2023
Early Spider Orchid, Dorset, April 2023
Early Spider Orchid, Dorset, April 2023
Early Spider Orchid, Dorset, April 2023
Early Spider Orchid, Dorset, April 2023
Next up was another new orchid and another with questions on how it ended up on UK soil. It is another extremely rare orchid and so out of respect to others I won’t reveal the exact location. The orchid in question is a cross between a Woodcock orchid and a Fly orchid. Fly orchids can be found at the location but Woodcock orchids aren’t generally found in the Uk. The rough location of these orchids is on the steep verge of a road near Dorchester. You have to have your wits about you as you walk from the nearest parking spot down to the site. All manner of vehicles hammer down this road. Once on the slope it didn’t take us long to locate 2 of these beautiful orchids. There were a few Fly Orchids on site that were close to bursting into flower.
Woodcock x Fly Orchid, May 2024
Woodcock x Fly Orchid, May 2024
Woodcock x Fly Orchid, May 2024
Woodcock x Fly Orchid, May 2024
Woodcock x Fly Orchid, May 2024
Woodcock x Fly Orchid, May 2024
Fly Orchid, May 2024
Fly Orchid, May 2024
Fly Orchid, May 2024
Last up for Part 1 of my orchid year was a trip to Worcestershire to check out a few fields of Green-winged orchids on a small reserve. The fields here are said to be stacked with orchids and a good colour range as well. I wasn’t disappointed when arriving at the site. 1000s of Green winged Orchids across a few fields. The colour range was superb and I spent a good few hours photographing as many of the colours I could. Also one to look out for is one called Chimera where the flowers are two different colours. There is potential 4 at this site of which I photographed one. On the way back I headed into the Cotswolds to check out the fly x bee orchid that should be coming into flower about now. More about that in the Cotswolds section.
Green-winged Orchid, Worcestershire, May 2024
