Sunday 29 June 2014

Common spotted Orchid

I'm no expert, but i think this is a Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) or it could be a Heath Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata) as the soils in the forest are acid and heathy. No matter, beautiful either way. The ride along the edge of South Oakley Enclosure towards Berry Wood, where the land hollows and retains a dampness, is covered in these Orchids. I say 'these Orchids', the range of colour, from the lightest of pinks, through the whole spectrum of purple hues and the forms were endless too, from small clusters of flowers atop the a stem, to stems festooned with flowers. A gathering of individuals rather than a homogenized group, though they all appear to share some or other feature or features. Possibly the result of cross breeding? Local Orchids, for local damp hollows! Whatever, Orchids are always a pleasure to see and in such numbers the pleasure is multiplied.
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