Five days ago I noticed something large and purple sticking-up in a small mixed wildflower patch in our field by the brook:-
Although it's not yet bursting with wildflowers it's a lovely place to visit at present - with a book, chair and camera I walk 40 paces down the garden to a sheltered spot in dappled shade and spend a couple of hours in my own little world, keeping an eye out for orange tips (a fair number), speckled woods (plenty) and beautiful demoiselles (everywhere), and listening to the dunnocks and warblers.
It looks like a pyramidal orchid, which I've not seen anywhere around here before.
This field, a meadow in the making, was used for cow grazing/silage by the local farmer for many years until fortunately he decided a few years ago we had planted too many trees in it for silaging to be worthwhile, starting us on a discovery about meadow-creation..Unexpected orchid
- Steve Pollard
- Site Admin
- Posts: 150
- Joined: Wed Dec 16, 2020 11:03 pm
- Location: Chagford, Dartmoor
- Has thanked: 264 times
- Been thanked: 79 times
-
- Posts: 24
- Joined: Sun Jun 19, 2022 8:31 pm
- Location: Stockland, Devon
- Has thanked: 4 times
- Been thanked: 16 times
Re: Unexpected orchid
After last year's unexpected orchid became two this year and were eaten by a deer, we found six more orchids in three different small wildflower patches in the garden:-
So our garden is now more meadow-like than the meadow! Can someone confirm the species please?
The first two look vulnerable and are now inside a chicken-wire cage. So our garden is now more meadow-like than the meadow! Can someone confirm the species please?
- Steve Pollard
- Site Admin
- Posts: 150
- Joined: Wed Dec 16, 2020 11:03 pm
- Location: Chagford, Dartmoor
- Has thanked: 264 times
- Been thanked: 79 times