June 16th Orchids, Orchids and More Orchids!

As Dad was away for Father's Day, I was left to my own devices. So today, I went orchid hunting with my friend David instead. I had several places in mind with some new targets I wanted to tick off. David, meanwhile, wanted me to find him some of the species I had already ticked off that he hadn't seen himself yet. We ended up going on an epic orchid hunt finding as many species as we could in one day, targets new and old.

First up was a quick visit to Carrow Road to see the bee orchid patch. It has been about two weeks since I visited this small brownfield site and the bee orchids have more than doubled in number. We found at least 20 or so of them as well as plenty of broomrape poking out of the grass. One down, but we had only just begun.

Pyramidal Orchid

Next up, we looked for pyramidal orchids at Whitlingham Broad, well actually it was a small fenced up patch of meadow just a little bit down the road. Pyramidal orchids are small, cheery-looking plants with little three-lobed pink flowers that often form a pyramid-like shape, though they do also develop into cylinders and globes. Each flower is full of nectar that only butterflies and moths with long mouth parts can reach. While the butterfly feeds, it triggers a small spring-like structure called the viscidium to coil around the butterfly's proboscis that is hard to brush off until it delivers the pollinia to another plant.

Moving on, the next species on my list was extremely rare and very special to Norfolk. As fen orchids are only found in a couple of sites in south Wales and a handful more in Norfolk and they are a big target for illegal orchid collectors, I can not reveal where we went next. However, I can tell you that in finding them, you need to put on a pair of wellies. Mum had bought me some last year, but I had never even worn them yet. They had spent the whole time in my shoe closet and today I am finally testing them out. They are so new that they still had the cord attached to them. I was going to give them a real testing session as to find these tiny green orchids I had to wade through boggy, spongy ground. It was like walking on a trampoline that leaks water with every step.

Fen Orchid

Finding a fen orchid is not easy. Being green and very small, they kind of blend in with the rest green matter surrounding them. Once you get your eye in though and after you have found one, you soon find more and more in a relatively small area. Fen orchids have a very different way of pollination than the other species I have ticked off so far. They are not pollinated by insects but instead self-pollinates itself with a little help from the rain. When it rains, a raindrop will knock into the anther at the top of the spidery-like flowers, causing the pollinia to drip down to the stigma below.

 

While searching for this rare orchid, I happen to find another candidate that matches the description of a Pugsley's marsh orchid. It had that dainty stature, thin, narrow leaves, very few flowers that tend to be more towards one side, but this one also had more pointed lips. I know that DNA tests has proven that Norfolk's population of this species is actually just another variation of southern marsh orchids, but this specimen was the best 'Pugsley's' that I have found so far and I was happy enough to add it to my orchid photo collection anyway.

The Dactylorhiza family (marsh and spotted orchids) have been one of the toughest groups for me to separate. I was glad that I had only one species left to tick off; the heath spotted orchid. And though I had actually seen it at Buxton Heath on my second visit, I had not identified it until I was back home. I wasn't satisfied in simply ticking it off until I had made a video of it. So, cue my third and hopefully last Buxton Heath visit of the month. However, as we got to the reserve's car park, a sudden short shower greeted us. It came out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly. After taking the opportunity for a lunchbreak, we made our way to the now more than familiar boggy area that was covered in Dactylorhiza orchids. I was glad I had the wellies this time around.

Heath Spotted Orchid

On the way, we found a few metal sheets lying around. We decided to check if any reptile was basking under the warmth of these metal sheets, so we carefully lifted them up. On our final attempt, we discovered a huge grass snake coiled beneath it! Before I could grab my camera for a photo, it saw me and slithered away as quick as lightning!

We finally got to the orchid bog and it wasn't long until I discovered that the same heath spotted orchid that I photographed two weeks ago to ID later was still there as fresh as it was back then. This species can be identified with its more rounder, wider lip that sort of resembles a lady's frock with lots of stripes and spots on it. Just like the common spotted orchid, it too has spotty leaves. As well as heath spotted orchids, we were also surrounded by southern marsh, common spotted, the odd common twayblade and possibly a few early marsh to boost our day's orchid species count to 9.

Painted Lady

Lastly, David wanted me to find him the greater butterfly orchid that I found 2 weeks ago. I can't tell you where the location is for protective reasons, but I was totally surprised to not only find it in the exact same spot but also still in near good condition. David had never seen a butterfly orchid before, so he was happy. This was our 10th and final orchid of the day. I don't think I've seen so many species in one day before! I would like to note that we also encountered many painted lady butterflies today at every location that we've visited. It appears that an invasion of this lovely butterfly has occurred in the last week despite the rubbish weather that we've been having.