Red Helleborine

More Orchids today with a trip to North Hampshire for the Marsh Helleborines, then on to Windsor Hill in the Chilterns for the Red Helleborine. Finally returning home via North Hampshire again to pick up a few variants that we had missed on the way.

Marsh Helleborine - Epipactis palustris

After looking for Bog Orchids earlier in the week it was good to walk into a field and see the bright colourful Marsh Helleborines without incurring eye strain from the searching.

Marsh Helleborine - Epipactis palustris

We found about a dozen plants but we did not want to spend too long looking. A few quick pictures and we were on our way again, this time to join a Berks Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust organised walk to see a Red Helleborine, possibly the only one flowering in the UK this year.   I really didn't want to get into twitching orchids or organised visits but with the plant classed as critically endangered and access rightly restricted you have no choice.

Red Helleborine - Cephalanthera rubra

There was no flower last year and it looked as though it would be a no show again this year but we were lucky and with a late flower spike showing the visit was on.

Red Helleborine - Cephalanthera rubra

I took a lot more than two photographs but then given that there is only one plant and that you can not get very close to it, they all tended to look the same. You couldn't even get close enough to cast a shadow over the plant to give a more subtle lighting but here is my attempt to achieve the same effect in Photoshop.

We also saw putative Broad-leaved and Violet Helleborines. If we cannot find them closer to home we may have to make a return visit to the area.

Broad-leaved Helleborine

Violet Helleborine

Having spoken to a few of the people on the walk we picked up some useful information including details of more Marsh Helleborines close to where we had been looking that morning.It was too good to ignore, so back in Hampshire later that afternoon and lots more Marsh Helleborines including a few variants ochroleuca. The variant lacking brown and purple pigments although still showing purple veins at the centre of the flower.

Marsh Helleborine - Epipactis palustris

Marsh Helleborine - Epipactis palustris  with  var. ochroleuca on the right

Marsh Helleborine - Epipactis palustris

Marsh Helleborine - Epipactis palustris

Marsh Helleborine - Epipactis palustris  var. ochroleuca

Marsh Helleborine - Epipactis palustris var. ochroleuca

A few of the other orchids picked up during the day - Southern Marsh Orchids and Marsh Fragrants.

Southern Marsh Orchid

Southern Marsh Orchid

Southern Marsh Orchid

Southern Marsh Orchid var albiflora

Marsh Fragrant

Marsh Fragrant

An enjoyable day, we saw some good orchids, met some interesting people and learnt a lot more about orchids.

Marsh Orchids

Marsh Orchids are starting to show on the south coast. These Early Marsh and Southern Marsh were taken at Ferring Rife just a few miles from home.

Early Marsh Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza incarnata

Early Marsh Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza incarnata

Early Marsh Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza incarnata

Southern Marsh Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza praetermissa

Southern Marsh Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza praetermissa

Southern Marsh Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza praetermissa

It is perhaps worth saying, that some experts believe that most of what appear to be Southern Marsh Orchids on this site, are actually hybrids of the Common Spot and Early Marsh Orchid, both of which are present in smaller numbers along with the Southern Marsh Orchids. In practice variants  and hybridisation between D.fuchsii, D.praetermissa and D.incarnata make an accurate morphological assessment impossible, for someone with my level of skills.


It is early days but first impressions are that the number of orchids are down on previous years. There are plenty of rosettes around but the site is very dry and there seems to be a shortage of flower spikes. We may be in for a poor season. Lets hope I am proved wrong.

Orchids

On Tuesday I may have made a fatal mistake. Poor returns on the Sussex Commons, with very few birds found and with a cold easterly wind keeping the butterflies in cover, left us with an afternoon and nowhere to go. Dave suggested having a look for a particular orchid that he wanted to photograph and I was happy to go along with the idea.

I have spent many a session standing by whilst Dave crawled around on his hands and knees gardening and photographing wild flowers, but I have never really understood the fascination with orchids. This would have probably just been another one of those sessions except that we didn't find the the target species.

Nothing brings the "train spotting" genes to the fore like missing a target and Wednesday morning having regrouped and clarified our search data we set off for another go. It wasn't exactly easy to find but after a bit of searching we were successful, the Bee Orchid v flavescens.

Bee Orchid v flavescens  -  Ophrys apifera v flavescens

Bee Orchid v flavescens  -  Ophrys apifera v flavescens

Floret of the Bee Orchid v flavescens  -  Ophrys apifera v flavescens

Also in the same area, the Common Spotted Orchid, more Bee Orchid and also a few Frog Orchids.

Common Spotted Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza fuchsii

Common Spotted Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza fuchsii

Common Spotted Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza fuchsii

Common Spotted Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza fuchsii

Bee Orchid  -  Ophrys apifera

Bee Orchid  -  Ophrys apifera

Bee Orchid  -  Ophrys apifera

Frog Orchid  -  Coeloglossum viride

Frog Orchid  -  Coeloglossum viride

Then on to Ferring Rife where Southern Marsh Orchids seem to grow in profusion. I say seem to, as there are references on the web, to some experts believing most of them to be hybrids of the Common Spot and Early Marsh Orchids, both of which are present on the site in smaller numbers.

With my knowledge of Orchids that level of identification is beyond me. It looks like a Southern Marsh Orchid so that is what I will call it.

Southern Marsh Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza praetermissa

Southern Marsh Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza praetermissation

Southern Marsh Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza praetermissa

Floret of the Southern Marsh Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza praetermissa

And the Early Marsh Orchid

Early Marsh Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza incarnata

Early Marsh Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza incarnata

Early Marsh Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza incarnata

Floret of the Early Marsh Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza incarnata

Then I managed to find a picture of a Dark-red Helleborine that we photographed on Gait Barrow a few years ago. It was a bit past its best but I am glad I took the time to record it.

Dark-red Helleborine  -  Epipactis atrorubens

I thought this would be easy. Just take a few pictures of Orchids and identify them from pictures on the web. I can't believe how complex the identification can be. Hybrids, sub-species, variants and colour morphs, all have left me with little confidence in anything I am putting a name to. Two days lost just reading up on Orchids.

It has been suggested that I have picked up a dose of  "Orchidelirium" a highly contagious disease. I really didn't need this. Life is too short.