Orchids - general

[Epidacty]

A first hello to Wabbers everywhere....

A little intro........from a new member, a keen and slightly knowledgeable amateur who has viewed the site many times in recent years and been in awe and admiration at the great pics and knowledge and enthusiasm of the many posters here. Started off as a rambling birdwatcher, becoming more interested in butterflies and dragonflies, now orchids.

Living near Manchester, it’s hard not to view the many posts from earlier this spring/summer with a little envy, not being close to the many southern locations with the variety of orchids to be seen, having visited Hartslock, Martin Down, Warburg, Durlston etc only rarely as time and travel permits.

But an easier trip from here is to N Lancs/Cumbria, which at the right times yield a dozen or more species on show. It’s hard not to be amazed by the tenacity of the Dark Red Helleborine and the seemingly inhospitable habitat it prefers





Or the beauty of the Lady’s Slipper, now apparently successfully re-establishing itself with a little help.



Not great pics, but hey………..

Even closer to home, more than 10,000+ CSO and marsh/hybrids colonising limestone gravel verges around parts of the M60 motorway, now almost over for another year. Interesting to see if numbers continue to grow year by year or diminish as competing vegetation takes over.

Hoping this weekend and next to see green flowered, dune, marsh and broadleaved helleborines in the usual places in W Lancs and N Wales, but always interested in suggestions for something/somewhere else.

[the young hunter]

Hi Epidacty,

Glad to have another orchid enthusiast on board! Lovely photos by the way. I planned to visit the main Lady's Slipper reintroduction site this year but never got round to it - clearly it was a good show aswell.

May I also recommend Birdforum as an excellent forum for sharing orchid information. People there are always very helpful, and, if you've been there long enough, are happy to share details and organise trips.

Mike.

[Ditiola]

Hi Epidacty

I am not a regular here well at least not yet. I look at orchids in the summer when there are not too many fungi about.

On the subject of orchids at the side of the motorway, on my annual visit to Glastonbury in June I noticed large numbers of Pyramidal Orchids growing on the embankment of the M5 the soil appears nutrient poor as the grass is not growing too well. They stretched for miles either side of Bristol and could easily been see whilst travelling at 70MPH

Peter

[birderbryan]

Originally Posted by Epidacty

A first hello to Wabbers everywhere....

A little intro........from a new member, a keen and slightly knowledgeable amateur who has viewed the site many times in recent years and been in awe and admiration at the great pics and knowledge and enthusiasm of the many posters here. Started off as a rambling birdwatcher, becoming more interested in butterflies and dragonflies, now orchids.

Living near Manchester, it’s hard not to view the many posts from earlier this spring/summer with a little envy, not being close to the many southern locations with the variety of orchids to be seen, having visited Hartslock, Martin Down, Warburg, Durlston etc only rarely as time and travel permits.

But an easier trip from here is to N Lancs/Cumbria, which at the right times yield a dozen or more species on show. It’s hard not to be amazed by the tenacity of the Dark Red Helleborine and the seemingly inhospitable habitat it prefers





Or the beauty of the Lady’s Slipper, now apparently successfully re-establishing itself with a little help.



Not great pics, but hey………..

Even closer to home, more than 10,000+ CSO and marsh/hybrids colonising limestone gravel verges around parts of the M60 motorway, now almost over for another year. Interesting to see if numbers continue to grow year by year or diminish as competing vegetation takes over.

Hoping this weekend and next to see green flowered, dune, marsh and broadleaved helleborines in the usual places in W Lancs and N Wales, but always interested in suggestions for something/somewhere else.

Hi Epidacty,
Thanks for your great topic.
With regards your multitude of CSO and marsh/hybrids colonising limestone gravel etc. The same thing is here in Cumbria - Cannot mention site here because it is a private site. But like you, last year I had perhaps up to a million CSOs and this year lucky to have 2000, and all this has happened within 12 months. This is purely because of encroachment of Willow Shrub and Horsetail and perhaps Silverweed.

Also at this site there is 20 Bee Orchid spikes, 15 Pyramidal Spikes, and perhaps some 3-5000 mixed Northern and Southern Marsh Orchid, and as you can imagine, lots of hybrids. These are in a slightly better postion at the other side of the site and although encroachment is also happening with them, perhaps not just has fast.

The site is private and the owner wants to develop, and he did tell me that they commissioned a Ecologist report (a couple of years ago), and in that report it states that the site will within 3 years be devoid of Orchids on account of the encroaching Willow Shrub and thats just whats happening. For a better idea please check out photos below. The first two showing the multitude of Orchids (and this was just a very very small part of the area was taken on the 8th July 2010. And the other two photos showing the encroachment of Willow and Horsetail and just the odd one or two CSO was taken on the 12th July 2011.

On another subject you mention you are looking for new areas, well I can perhaps may be able to help you if you are interested in the most beautiful "Marsh Helliborine". If you want to check out my MH photos taken a week or so ago then please check out my site which is listed under the WAB Members Sites and called "I Love Arnside and Silverdale". (The MH are beautiful, but the site is obviously not mentioned - you would need to PM or email me for that information).

I do hope you have a better outcome with the CSO's that we have had.....

All the best,
Bryan.

[Epidacty]

Hi Mike / Peter / Bryan

Many thanks for your responses.

Cheers,