Tags
Bee orchid, British native orchids, British orchids, Common spotted-orchid, Grangemoor Park, Pyramidal orchid, Southern Marsh-orchid, white Pyramidal orchid
During a recent wander around Cardiff’s Grangemoor Park, I was delighted to spot four different species of Britain’s native orchids. I thought our unseasonal heatwave in late May might have caused the orchids to frizzle but I think the fact that the record-breaking high temperatures were followed immediately by a week of rainy weather has meant that the orchids growing at Grangemoor and in other local parks are looking particularly lush this year. Here’s a selection …
Bee orchids (Ophrys apifera)
I have an ambition to get a photo of all three species – Bee, Common spotted and Pyramidal – growing together but I’ve yet to find them. These are Common spotted and Bee.
Another Common spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsia)
Pyramidal orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis), in the usual pink colour
White Pyramidal orchids – I’ve seen these given the scientific name Anacamptis pyramidalis var. albiflora (on the FirstNature website), but that name is not included in the list for recording purposes.
Southern marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza praetermissa). These hybridise easily with Common spotted so it took a while to find a true Southern marsh.
