Orchids - Help Please!

[black]

Hi, I would really appreciate some help with identifying these orchids, I think I have a couple of them ID'd ok but then I began having doubts and I'm really not sure on Orchid2. If someone could have a look at them that'd be great

I photographed the first two at Gait Barrows NR in Lancashire earlier in the month

Orchid1 Common Spotted Orchid Dactylorhiza fuchsii


Orchid2 ?????




These two were taken at Birkdale Dunes on the Sefton Coast, Merseyside last week. These larger flowers spikes were among the masses of Early Marsh Orchid. I think they're NMO.

Orchid3 Northern Marsh Orchid Dactylorhiza purpurella


Orchid4 Northern Marsh Orchid Dactylorhiza purpurella

[leifus]

I agree with them all and id say 2 was southern marsh orchid having found them the other day.

[Falconer2406]

Hi from a new member and forgive me if this is not the right place for this question. I have found a stand of Bee orchids at least 50 of them and maybe many more i didnt have time for a good look round, with these are a few pyramidial orchids. Question: do these need to be reported anywhere so they can be protected and if so where. It was a most exciting find as i have only ever seen one or two together before
Thanks

[Meta menardi]

Originally Posted by black

Hi

I love the signature! I can't work out where I stand, but my wife is very, very clever.

I am my own man and.... must go, Chris wants me to do something.

[IanS]

Id go along with the common and northern marsh ids. I'm a little more dubious over the possible southern - though it could well be. Its holding the top petals rather high for southern plus it has markings on them too. I wonder if its a hybrid? Common x early? I think you need to do some DNA tests!

[thunder]

Originally Posted by Falconer2406

Hi from a new member and forgive me if this is not the right place for this question. I have found a stand of Bee orchids at least 50 of them and maybe many more i didnt have time for a good look round, with these are a few pyramidial orchids. Question: do these need to be reported anywhere so they can be protected and if so where. It was a most exciting find as i have only ever seen one or two together before
Thanks

It would be a good idea to report them to your local Wildlife Trust. They mey not be able to do anything about protection, but I am sure they would like the information

henrya

[black]

Thanks for the help, I did wonder whether Orchid No 2 could be a hybrid, although I did think Southern Marsh it didn't look quite right.

Glad you like the signature Meta menardi, it's a slightly abbrevated quote by Rudyard Kipling. Pity some very clever men are also fools

[PeterJL]

Not easy are they?

Another thing you can do is to go to the BSBI website and look at the maps to see if you possible id has been recorded form the area. Of course you may have found a new record but with orchids it's much more likely that you'll have made an identification error.