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~ a celebration of nature

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Tag Archives: Broad-leaved helleborine

An opulence of orchids

24 Sunday Jul 2022

Posted by sconzani in flowers, plants, wildflowers

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British orchids, British wildflowers, Broad-leaved helleborine, Epipactis helleborine, native orchids, orchid

I took these photos of Broad-leaved helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) ten days ago, on 13 July, and even then I had expected them to have shrivelled in the sweltering heat. Now, after the heatwave, I imagine they will have wilted, drooped, possibly died off completely but I will go back soon to check on them as they have such lovely flowers.

220724 broad-leaved helleborine

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Helleborines

01 Sunday Aug 2021

Posted by sconzani in flowers, plants, wildflowers

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British orchids, Broad-leaved helleborine, helleborine orchids, orchid

I’ve been watching these Broad-leaved helleborines since I first noticed their flower stems emerging through the grasses and wildflowers in a local park in early June.

210801 broad-leaved helleborine (1)
210801 broad-leaved helleborine (2)

They are plentiful and lush this year – presumably the very wet spring encouraged their growth but, unfortunately, our week-long heat wave has caused many to shrivel and dry before opening fully. Still, I find their flowers rather beautiful.

210801 broad-leaved helleborine (3)210801 broad-leaved helleborine (4)

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194/366 Watching, waiting

12 Sunday Jul 2020

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, wildflowers

≈ 1 Comment

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British orchids, Broad-leaved helleborine, Grangemoor Park, native orchids

During my lockdown meanders around Cardiff’s Grangemoor Park, I’ve been keeping an eye on these Broad-leaved helleborines, watching and waiting for them to bloom. Though I’d only found them in one location in previous years, this year I’ve spotted them in three different places around the park.

200712 broad-leaved helleborine 17 june (2)

Here they are on 17 June, looking healthy, with lots of lush foliage.

200712 broad-leaved helleborine 17 june (1)

Just over a week later, on 25 June, flower spikes have developed well on a couple of plants, so I’m hopeful of a good display.

200712 broad-leaved helleborine 25 june (1)
200712 broad-leaved helleborine 25 june (2)

I don’t manage to get back this way until 11 July, but I’m full of expectation of a mass of blooms. Unfortunately, though we’ve had plenty of rain, a couple of plants look brown and slightly withered (as they’re adjacent to a well-used footpath, I wonder if passing dogs might have urinated on them). A couple of other plants look as if they’ve been trampled.

200712 broad-leaved helleborine 11 july (1)
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Luckily, I have found two plants with spikes intact and a couple of flowers open on each. Such pretty little things.

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209/365 Broad-leaved helleborines

28 Sunday Jul 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, flowers, nature, wildflowers

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

British orchids, Broad-leaved helleborine, Grangemoor Park, native orchids

I almost left it too late!

190728 broad-leaved helleborines (1)

I’ve been keeping an eye on these Broad-leaved helleborines for over a month now: at my first visit, the flowers scarcely showed a tinge of red; at my second visit, on 14 July, a couple were in bloom but most still to open; and this morning, many of them had already started to go over.

190728 broad-leaved helleborines (5)
190728 broad-leaved helleborines (6)
190728 broad-leaved helleborines (7)

And, as today was quite windy, my photos are not very sharp so I’ve added in a couple from two weeks ago.

190728 broad-leaved helleborines (2)

Hey ho, at least I managed to see them in all their beauty before they disappear for another year.

190728 broad-leaved helleborines (3)
190728 broad-leaved helleborines (4)

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A triumph of nature

28 Friday Jul 2017

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, parks, wildflowers

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British flora, British native orchids, British orchids, Broad-leaved helleborine, Epipactis helleborine, orchid, terrestrial orchid

These Broad-leaved helleborines (Epipactis helleborine) are a little past their best but I just had to post about them, partly because I love all of Britain’s native orchids and partly because these are survivors. You would usually find these terrestrial orchids growing in clearings or along path edges in forests and woodlands but these particular plants are growing on the edges of a former rubbish tip, now urban park, in Cardiff. Despite humans dumping thousands of tons of rubbish on their habitat, then covering that over with imported rocks and soil, laying tarmac paths and planting cultivated plants like cotoneaster, these helleborines have somehow survived. The idea of that made my day!

170728 Broad-leaved helleborine (6)
170728 Broad-leaved helleborine (5)
170728 Broad-leaved helleborine (3)
170728 Broad-leaved helleborine (1)
170728 Broad-leaved helleborine (2)
170728 Broad-leaved helleborine (7)
170728 Broad-leaved helleborine (4)

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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