These are exciting times for orchids. As well as an exceptional showing of those species we've grown accustomed to seeing each year, we've found two new species. This one was found yesterday in Ormsaigbeg, up at the back of the crofts by the common grazings fence. I have tentatively identified it as a greater butterfly orchid. We've been finding its very similar partner, the lesser butterfly orchid, for a couple of years, but this one has some features which suggest it's the greater.
The trouble with the two butterfly orchid species is that they are very similar, and although I have looked at several websites which try to distinguish them, I find the descriptions confusing. This is a close up of one of the flowers, while....
....this is an orchid which, in the past, I have identified as a lesser butterfly orchid.
Today we went walking at Sanna, and in a spot which is exceptionally good for other orchids we came across this, the first frog orchid we've ever found. It wasn't alone....
....for in no time we came across a couple of dozen or more. They vary considerably in colour - apparently the greener ones are growing in damper soil.
They also appear in clumps, there are often two or three closely associated, and their flower colours vary across the spectrum from green to....
....a deep reddish-brown. Some are short and spindly, with only a few flowers, while others....
....have massive heads full of flowers. We'll need to go back to Sanna in a couple of days' time to check on this one when it's in full flower.
Sanna must have a reputation for frog orchids as it appears on
this site.
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