Tags
#365DaysWild, Autumn Lady’s-tresses, British orchids, British wildflowers, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, orchids, Spiranthes spiralis
Happy (calendar) Autumn!
Today’s plant couldn’t be more appropriate – these are Autumn lady’s-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis). True to their name, they usually appear when the weather turns more autumnal, and their twirling spiral form apparently reminded their original namer of the ringlets once popular in women’s hairstyles.
Though they like to grow in very short turf, Autumn lady’s-tresses are themselves quite small and, surrounded as these were by other wildflowers, especially the superficially similar Eyebright, they weren’t easy to spot.
Luckily for me, when I was having an early wander around Cosmeston this morning, I bumped into a friend of a friend, who is extremely knowledgeable about the local flora, and he very kindly showed me where these gorgeous little orchids were growing.
There are a lot of these at Dawlish Warren not far from where I live. I always find them entrancing to look at and even better if a bees comes to feed.
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Wonderful. Do the bees start at the bottom and work their way up and around the spiral?
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East paddock i assume? I was pleased to see them out last week. I counted 20 spikes in all – a group of 13 and then 7 rather spread out.
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Yes, East paddock. I didn’t do a count but some were going over already. I bumped into Jeff in the west paddock, we were walking & chatting & talk turned to orchids & he offered to show me.
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Oh, I am smitten! Those are beautiful but I doubt I shall ever spot any…
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I thought you might enjoy them. 🙂
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I’d have had to’ve been shown, too – I wouldn’t have spotted it. Never seen one before, to my knowledge. Very pretty. 🙂
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Glad you enjoyed them, Val. These were only my second lot and I’m not sure I would’ve spotted them without help. 🙂
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