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Tag Archives: Common twayblade

Two orchids

26 Friday May 2017

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, wildflowers

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Tags

Common twayblade, Dactylorhiza maculata, Heath spotted-orchid, Merthyr Mawr National Nature Reserve, native orchids, Neottia ovata, orchid, Twayblade

Of the estimated 25,000 different species of orchid that can be found around the world, 56 are native to Britain and, as some of those 56 are now coming in to bloom, I thought I’d share a couple for this week’s Floral Friday.

170526 Twayblade (2)
170526 Twayblade (1)

Twayblade (Neottia ovata)
First up is the Twayblade I saw growing quite prolifically in the woodland at Merthyr Mawr a couple of weeks ago. It’s one of Britain’s most common species but is often overlooked, perhaps because its yellow-green flowers often blend in with their woodland, scrub or grassland habitats. Twayblade means two leaves, as there usually are just two leaves, from the centre of which sprouts the flower stalk, though, like all living things, there are exceptions to the rule and plants with three to five leaves are sometimes found. The thing that most fascinates me about these orchids is the manikin-shaped flower.

170526 Heath spotted-orchid (1)
170526 Heath spotted-orchid (2)

Heath spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata)
Luckily I was with a group of botanists when I saw my first Heath spotted-orchids last weekend, as they can easily be confused with Common spotted-orchids, though the fact that we were in a damp boggy field at the time was probably also a good species indicator. As the name ‘heath’ implies, this orchid likes to get its feet wet, relishing the sogginess of peaty moors and boggy heaths. As well as being common throughout Europe, this orchid can also be found throughout the British Isles, though it does show a marked preference for northern and western areas. Its gorgeous flowers can be seen from around the middle of May through to mid July.

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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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