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Tag Archives: Common spotted orchid

First Common spotted orchids

03 Thursday Jun 2021

Posted by sconzani in flowers, wildflowers

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

British orchids, Common spotted orchid, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Native British orchid

I was delighted yesterday, as I walked up the west paddock at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, to spot my first two flowering Common spotted orchids of the year. This is just the beginning of what will, I’m sure, be another stunning display, as both the east and west paddocks are usually awash with orchids in the summer months.

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145/366 Common spotteds

24 Sunday May 2020

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, wildflowers

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

British orchids, Common spotted orchid, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, native orchids

The occasional smatterings of rain we’ve had in the last few days have eased, ever so slightly, the drought conditions hereabouts, and the flush of new growth that was evident during this morning’s early walk through the fields at Cosmeston included my first Common spotted orchids of the year. Superb!

200524 common spotted orchid (1)200524 common spotted orchid (2)200524 common spotted orchid (3)200524 common spotted orchid (4)

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169/365 Emergence

18 Tuesday Jun 2019

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

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, Bird’s-foot trefoil, British moths, Common spotted orchid, moths, Pyramidal orchid, red clover, Six-spot burnet, wildflowers

Remember I said on Friday that they’d be ‘coming soon‘, well here they are. The Six-spot burnet moths have begun to emerge, buzzing around the wildflowers like little red-and-black bumblebees. Delightful!

190618 six-spot burnet (1)190618 six-spot burnet (2)190618 six-spot burnet (3)190618 six-spot burnet (4)190618 six-spot burnet (5)190618 six-spot burnet (6)

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145/365 An orchid update

25 Saturday May 2019

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

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Aberbargoed Grasslands, Bee orchid, British orchids, Common spotted orchid, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Early purple orchid, Heath spotted-orchid, Lavernock Nature Reserve, native orchids

As more and more orchids are now appearing, I thought I’d post a few photos of those I’ve seen so far this year. The first were the aptly named Early purples (Orchis macula), though this year they were even earlier than usual I’m told – I spotted these beauties at Lavernock Nature Reserve on 23 April.

190525 early purple orchids

Next up were these pretty little Heath spotted-orchids (Dactylorhiza maculata) found growing at the Aberbargoed Grasslands National Nature Reserve on 15 and 21 March, when I was visiting for the Marsh fritillaries.

190525 heath spotted-orchid

During Monday’s wander at Lavernock I spotted the first open flower of a Common spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsia) and on Thursday, 23 May, I found the first couple of these at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park.

190525 common spotted lavernock190525 common spotted cosmeston

And today’s delightful discovery, also at Cosmeston, was my first Bee orchid (Ophrys apifera) for 2019. I look forward to the warm summer days when the fields at Cosmeston are awash with (mostly Common spotted) orchids – they’re a joy to behold!

190525 bee

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Fat thighs are cool!

19 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by sconzani in flowers, insects, nature, wildflowers

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

#30DaysWild, 30 Days Wild, British beetles, British insects, Common spotted orchid, National Insect Week, Oedemera nobilis, Swollen-thighed beetle

Not only is this day 19 of #30DaysWild, but today is also the second day of National Insect Week. To celebrate, here is one of my favourite British insects, the Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis). I see these little guys on almost every type of flower at this time of year  – this one’s on a Common spotted-orchid – and they always make me smile. It’s the male beetles that have those fat thighs – I haven’t been able to find out why, so if you know, please do tell.

180619 Swollen-thigh beetle

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From garbage to glorious

09 Saturday Jun 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, insects, nature, parks

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

#30DaysWild, 30 Days Wild, Bee orchid, Blackcap, Brimstone butterfly, Common blue butterfly, Common spotted orchid, Emperor dragonfly, Grangemoor Park, Holly blue butterfly, Large skipper, long-tailed tit, Meadow Brown, Pyramidal orchid, Southern marsh orchid

Day 9 of #30DaysWild saw me at Grangemoor Park, a place that used to be Cardiff’s rubbish dump: when it closed in 1994, it contained an estimated four million cubic metres of garbage, both commercial and household. Now, it’s not only a public park but also a SINC (Site of Importance for Nature Conservation), and is home to a wonderfully diverse range of flora and fauna. My photos show just some of what I discovered there today …

180609 1 Large skipper

Large skipper butterfly

180609 2 Meadow brown

One of seven Meadow brown butterflies seen today

180609 3 Common blue

Male Common blue butterfly

180609 4 Holly blue

Holly blue butterfly (and tiny friend)

180609 5 Brimstone

Brimstone butterfly (one of my favourites)

180609 6 Emperor dragonfly

Emperor dragonfly. There were many other dragonflies and damselflies at the pond but they were a bit distant for photos.

180609 7 Long-tailed tit fledgling

One of four newly fledged Long-tailed tits, foraging with their parents

180609 8 Blackcap female

Female Blackcap busy foraging for her family

180609 9 Pyramidal orchid

Pyramidal orchids

180609 10 Bee orchid

Bee orchid – love their ‘faces’!

180609 11 Southern marsh orchid

Southern marsh orchid (I think)

180609 12 Common spotted orchid

Common spotted orchids

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Orchidelicious

03 Sunday Jun 2018

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, parks, wildflowers

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

#30DaysWild, 30 Days Wild, Bee orchid, British orchids, Common spotted orchid, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Greater butterfly-orchid, orchid, Southern marsh orchid

180603 orchids at Cosmeston

For day three of #30DaysWild I went searching for orchids at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, and I got lucky. The Common spotted-orchids are blooming in good numbers now, two of the small number of well hidden Greater butterfly-orchids are flowering, I found my first Bee orchid of the season, and I think I found my first Southern marsh-orchid as well. It couldn’t get much better than that!

Common spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii)

180603 Common spotted orchid (1)

180603 Common spotted orchid (3)
180603 Common spotted orchid (2)

Greater butterfly-orchid (Platanthera chlorantha)

180603 Greater butterfly orchid (1)
180603 Greater butterfly orchid (2)
180603 Greater butterfly orchid (3)
180603 Greater butterfly orchid (4)

Bee orchid (Ophrys apifera)

180603 Bee orchid (2)
180603 Bee orchid (1)

Southern marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza praetermissa) (and Common blue butterfly)

180603 Southern marsh orchid

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Orchid overdose!

09 Friday Jun 2017

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, wildflowers

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Anacamptis pyramidalis, Bee orchid, British flora, British orchids, Common spotted orchid, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Dactylorhiza fuchsii, Greater butterfly-orchid, native orchids, Ophrys apifera), orchid, Platanthera chlorantha, Pyramidal orchid

170609 Orchids Cosmeston

The meadows at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park are awash with orchids, Common spotted-orchids, (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), Bee orchids (Ophrys apifera), Pyramidal orchids (Anacamptis pyramidalis) and, in a secluded location off the beaten track, a tiny smattering of Greater butterfly-orchids (Platanthera chlorantha). To walk along the paths amongst these beauties is simply magical!

170609 Pyramidal orchids Cosmeston (1)
170609 Common spotted-orchid Cosmeston (1)
170609 Common spotted-orchid Cosmeston (3)
170609 Common spotted-orchid Cosmeston (2)
170609 Pyramidal orchids Cosmeston (2)
170609 Bee orchid Cosmeston (3)
170609 Bee orchid Cosmeston (1)
170609 Greater butterfly-orchid Cosmeston (2)
170609 Greater butterfly-orchid Cosmeston (1)
170609 Greater butterfly-orchid Cosmeston (3)
170609 Pyramidal orchids Cosmeston (3)
170609 Bee orchid Cosmeston (2)

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Floral Friday: Orchids

15 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, wildflowers

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

British orchids, Common spotted orchid, Common twayblade, Early purple orchid, native orchids, Southern marsh orchid

In the past, when I heard the word orchid, I would think of the exotic tropical species to be found in places like Singapore and other Asian countries. Now I know there is an entirely different kind of orchid that is a British native and, while not as spectacular in appearance as some of the exotics, these natives are, I think, even more beautiful.

160715 orchids (1)

The flower spikes stand tall, like sentinels, amongst the more flippant flora of the meadows and chalk grasslands, though the individual flowers are delicate little poppets, with a surprising range of patterns and hues. This is partly because they hybridise easily which can make them difficult to identify. I think I have here examples of the Common twayblade, Early purple, Southern marsh and Common spotted orchids.

160715 orchids (2)
160715 orchids (3)
160715 orchids (4)
160715 orchids (5)
160715 orchids (6)
160715 orchids (7)
160715 orchids (8)
160715 orchids (9)
160715 orchids (10)

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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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