Orchids return
Orchids are starting to get their feet in the ground as part of a long-term meadow restoration project near Castlemorton.
Orchids are starting to get their feet in the ground as part of a long-term meadow restoration project near Castlemorton.
The Early purple orchid is one of the first orchids to pop up in spring. Look for its pinkish-purple flowers from April, when bluebells still carpet our woodland floors. Its leaves are dark green…
This is probably the most widespread and commonest of the marsh orchids.
The petals of the rare Lizard orchid's flowers form the head, legs and long tail of a lizard. They are greenish, with light pink spots and stripes, and smell strongly of goats! Spot this tall…
The bee orchid is a sneaky mimic - the flower’s velvety lip looks like a female bee. Males fly in to try to mate with it and end up pollinating the flower. Sadly, the right bee species doesn’t…
This unassuming orchid is easily overlooked. It is found patchily across the UK, but has been declining for decades.
The pyramidal orchid lives up to its name - look for a bright pinky-purple, densely packed pyramid of flowers atop a green stem. It likes chalk grassland, sand dunes, roadside verges and quarries…
With the release of the State of Nature report 2019, Colin explores what we can all do to help nature...
A short, but pretty plant of unimproved grasslands, the Green-winged orchid gets its name from the green veins in the 'hood' of its flowers. Look for it in May and June.
The Bird's-nest orchid gets its name from its nest-like tangle of roots. Unlike other green plants, it doesn’t get its energy from sunlight. Instead, it grows as a parasite on tree roots, so…
The fly-shaped flowers of this fascinating plant are attractive to insects - but not the ones you might expect!