I’ve created a Community for Wild Orchids - these can be of Britain, Europe, Asia, North America, Australia… anywhere in the world!
Anyone can join so please feel free to do so
15/11/21 Cumbria - Wowee, I was lucky to see this earlier on the back lanes! A weasel (Mustela nivalis) ruthlessly takes down its larger prey and kills it - an unfortunate brown rat (Rattus norvegicus). Have up on them in Britain’s Mammals
@dunnjons
!
@WildlifeMag
@BBCSpringwatch
13/5/20 County Durham - It's fair to say I got a good walk this afternoon as Spring Gentians (Gentiana verna) typically grow in remote locations. Many were closed due to the wind but a few were open - they're incredibly blue even on a dull day
#wildflowerhour
@EuropeanOrchids
Drove past my old house today. The back garden, full of mature shrubs, alpines, trees and an emerging grassland habitat (my own work) has been obliterated in favour of block paving. Not a hint of green remains. It had frogs, newts and all sorts thriving - now gone forever.
11/6/22 Cumbria - A real wildflower meadow with
#orchids
on a road verge stretching for miles
No seed mixes, just favourable management
Anyone with an interest in nature should take note as these ecosystems support much wildlife
Click ALT on the image for more
#wildflowerhour
2/7/20 - How many people drive past our most biodiverse habitats without realising? This is one of many road verges in Cumbria home to thousands of
#orchids
, surviving fragments of the ancient meadows of which 97% have been lost since the 1930s. So many more could be like this!
28/5/20 Location Undisclosed - a quiet, unspoilt and largely unknown site elsewhere on the Morecambe Pavements SAC harbours a pristine Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium calceolus) whose flower has opened fully within the last couple of days
#wildflowerhour
25/5/20 Cumbria - If anyone feels inspired to go looking for Moonwort
#Ferns
(Botrychium lunaria) then make sure you're looking extra hard for them!
#wildflowerhour
15/5/23 Northern England - I forced myself out this evening and it’s safe to say it was the best decision I’ve taken in ages. My daughter and I sat with this amazing Lady’s Slipper
#Orchid
(Cypripedium calceolus) for over an hour
#wildflowerhour
16/6/19 Cumbria - I was interrupted by this marvellous beast that decided to seek refuge (crash land) on my arm while I was adoring the Moonwort. The Golden-Ringed Dragonfly is the largest British dragonfly and sadly I don't come across magnificent insects as much as I used to.
Thread - What is a wildflower meadow and why are native species important?
Wildflower meadows contain flowering plants which were not sown or planted there & occur naturally. They're important because of how other species interact with them. These relationships are often complex
13/8/18 Pyrénées - My wife very kindly gave me part of the last day of our holiday to go botanising. I headed for a good patch of dark woodland with many damp gulleys and after a steep climb was delighted to come across this lone example of Epipogium aphyllum, the Ghost
#Orchid
.
1/11/21 Cumbria - I decided to risk a nip to the finger to handle this awesome beast that crossed my path yesterday afternoon. I’ve got it down as Carabus problematicus (owing to the shape of its pronotum), a close relative of the Violet Ground Beetle.
I’m seeing this viral photo popping up all over the place at the moment. It drives me nuts because it’s usually peddled as a green solution that’s beneficial for wildlife.
Firstly, these aren’t “wildflowers”. They’re not even flowers that are native to the UK. There are very few
26/6/21 - The road verges of Cumbria are at their spectacular best right now. A mass of spectacular colours including Ragged Robin, Meadow Vetchling, Crosswort, Pignut, Melancholy Thistle and Northern Marsh Orchids, this verge near Tebay is a botanical haven
#wildflowerhour
13/5/20 Lancs - After a few phonecalls I decided to head out for a morning stroll. Green-Winged
#Orchids
are one of my favourites but this absolute gem, resplendent amid the parched grass, is a sight that's going to take some beating this year
#wildflowerhour
@EuropeanOrchids
22/5/20 Buckinghamshire - Good things come to those who wait! I'd been wanting to see the Military
#Orchids
(Orchis militaris) again for several years but various events had kept conspiring against me. Today, I caught them at their peak and enjoyed a good walk too
#wildflowerhour
13/5/20 County Durham - Lower Teesdale is
#alpine
heaven and after getting an eyeful of gentian, I noticed this tiny
#cuteplant
, Hoary Whitlow Grass (Draba incana), affixed to the fragile sugar limestone like a decoration on a cake
#wildflowerhour
23/5/20 Cumbria - A lone Early Purple
#Orchid
growing on exposed limestone of Hutton Roof, near Burton-In-Kendal.
A really fantastic place for botanising, though it is looking rather dry this year. On the plus side, a notable lack of crawly, bitey things though
#wildflowerhour
31/10/21 🎃 Cumbria - A
#Halloween
#fungi
crawl across the grasslands of the Eden Valley produced an incredibly rewarding haul today. A large number of
#waxcaps
, including Ballerina (Porpolomopsis calyptriformis) and a Violet Coral (Clavaria zollingeri) left me rather spellbound!
My Twitter newsfeed is a right mess at the moment; having customised it to highlight posts about nature and the environment, it’s currently an offensively toxic mixture of everything but
A shoutout to
#naturetwitter
and
#wildflowerhour
folk, just checking you’re still here
ROADSIDE VERGES THREAD
Verges can be species-rich habitats, playing host to our rarest & most theatened - often the surviving remnants of larger meadows long lost to development. It's important that we care for these areas with careful (not aggressive) management
#wildflowerhour
14/4/20 Lancs - the sight of Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) is one that takes me back to being a little boy, when I first noticed it in the Wyre Forest some 30 years ago. The leaves of this plant contain oxalic acid which gives them a sour (yet refreshing) taste
#wildflowerhour
7/3/20 - The Purple
#Saxifrage
(Saxifraga oppositifolia) is emerging and will be at its best later in the month. Set against the backdrop of the
#Yorkshire
Dales from Pen-Y-Ghent I find the lure of this
#alpine
species utterly irresistible - even with a heavy cold
#wildflowerhour
2/4/21 Today was the annual pilgrimage up Pen-Y-Ghent for Purple Mountain Saxifrages (Saxifraga oppositifolia). After not doing a huge amount of walking over lockdown, it seemed steeper than ever, but even more worth it than ever. Also great to bump into friends!
#wildflowerhour
31/10/21 Cumbria - a couple of Violet Corals (Clavaria zollingeri) from an ancient grassland in the Eden Valley. These rare grassland fungi are indicators of very special habitats, something the margin of a village green football pitch may not appear to be most of the year round
05/2020 Lancs & Cumbria - A tale of two Lady's Slippers (Cypripedium calceolus) growing at sites on the Morecambe Pavements SAC. It's fantastic to see them doing as well as they are at their reintroduction sites
#wildflowerhour
2/6/20 - The road verges of Cumbria are spectacular at this time of year, this one a mass of colour despite the drought - Northern Marsh
#Orchids
(Dactylorhiza purpurella) and Bird's-Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) making an irresistable combination
#wildflowerhour
If anyone’s struggling for bog roll then nature’s wonderful bounty is the perfect solution.
Anything can make a substitute for toilet paper if you’re brave enough but here are some recommended (and not so recommended) plants you can use.
Mulleins feel like posh quilted stuff.
27/10/22 - A lovely patch of Ballerina
#Waxcaps
(Porpolomopsis calyptriformis) on the ancient grasslands of the South Lakes, an area I consider a stronghold for them! This charming species is of global conservation concern, listed as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List
#nature
29/10/22 Lancs - hundreds of Splendid
#Waxcaps
(Hygrocybe splendidissima) have popped up across the grasslands of Silverdale, one of the more conspicuous
#fungi
on show at the moment
#FungiFriday
I've been for walks in Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Lancashire and Cumbria this weekend and seen some fab
#orchids
but this one really caught my eye!
On this occasion though I'm not going to tell anyone what I think it is and see what people think...
#wildflowerhour
20/3/22 Cumbria - After nearly two weeks of suffering with round 2 of Covid, I decided to get out and push myself. I free-styled up the South side of Helvellyn via Birkside Gill to find some glorious Purple Mountain Saxifrages (Saxifraga oppositifolia)
#Lakes
#wildflowerhour
1/4
20/5/20 - I enjoyed my time so much with the Spring Gentians (Gentiana verna) last week that I decided to head up again today, accompanied by three fizzy kids. They were amazed at the intense blue colour, and also how amazing sandwiches taste after climbing a fell
#wildflowerhour
10/10/21 Cumbria - Some unusual
#fungi
today at Arnside Knott! I had this down from its deeply coloured cap and gills as the very rare Violet Webcap (Cortinarius violaceus) but opinion is leaning towards C. purpurascens or one of its close relatives. It’s special, whatever!
13/8/20 Lancs - Beautiful evening in Silverdale, many spikes of Autumn Ladies Tresses (Spiranthes spiralis) dotted among the Harebells (Campanula rotundifolia) on the limestone pastures overlooking Morecambe Bay
@EuropeanOrchids
#wildflowerhour
The “weeds” that pop up in your garden are usually REAL
#wildflowers
that support invertebrates throughout their entire lifecycles - such as this elephant Hawkmoth Caterpillar I saw feeding off the Willowherb at my work today. Let at least some of them be to help our pollinators!
30/6/23 Co. Durham - I had to be in Newcastle for a stag do at 7pm and wondered what to do beforehand. Inspired by
@dunnjons
' search for Dark Red Helleborines (Epipactis atrorubens) in his wonderful book
#orchidsummer
, I retraced his footsteps. What a day!
#wildflowerhour
30/9/22 Madeira - A genuine contender for the rarest
#orchid
species in Europe, the Madeiran Ladies Tresses (Goodyera macrophylla) grows in low numbers, and are difficult and rather dangerous to access at their main site - especially in the wet. But what a fine species!
15/11/21 Cumbria - I was lucky to witness the death-sausage in action yesterday but my reason for visiting the South Lakes was to look for Ballerina
#Waxcaps
(Porpolomopsis calyptriformis) and was well rewarded by the numbers growing in some churchyards. It was a memorable day!
It’s obvious that we have a troublesome relationship with wildlife when a headline focuses on the monetary value of a wild species instead of the novelty of it being captured on film so well
Have just heard sad news about the passing of Roger Phillips, the author of many nature books - most notably those on the wildflowers and fungi of the British Isles. His work was a great inspiration to me as a child
#wildflowerhour
21/4/24 Teesdale - The earliest Spring
#Gentians
(Gentiana verna) are starting to appear and they are indescribably wonderful. There’s not much else out in Teesdale - as you’d expect for mid-April - but I did wonder what I’d see, given how early the
#orchids
are
#wildflowerhour
16/5/21 - It's always wonderful to see the Lady's Slipper
#Orchids
(Cypripedium calceolus) in flower
This magnificent species has been reintroduced to sites in Northern England after being hunted to functional extinction by plant collectors last century
#wildflowerhour
@pdimi2
7/4/19 Warwickshire - Fritillaria meleagris (the Snakeshead Fritillary) is an elegant sight of spring across central-southern England. It's uncertain as to whether or not this is a native species to the UK, but it may be so given its preference for ancient meadows
#wildflowerhour
25/8/23 Oxfordshire - love a good
#gentian
me, so I rarely need an excuse to seek out Chiltern
#Gentians
(Gentianella germanica). They're difficult to miss, with almost comically-oversized flowers bursting from their narrow frames like tightly-packed bouquets
#wildflowerhour
25/4/21 Co. Durham - The fabulous flora of Teesdale, Spring Gentians (Gentiana verna) and Birds Eye Primrose (Primula farinosa) already putting up a good show... earliest I've ever seen either
#wildflowerhour
No Chris, we don't want more of these false meadows full of non-native species. These are NOT wildflower meadows.
We want more real meadows that are actively benefitting our native species.
Every council across the U.K. should aspire to this - it’s beautiful and productive and what people want from a new normal for wildlife and the environment . Top work Musselburgh !
24/10/22 Cumbria - Three belting
#Clavaria
#fungi
in ancient meadows that have appeared over the last week; Smoky Spindles (C. fumosa), an emerging Purple Coral (P. zollingeri) and White Spindles (C. fragilis)
30/5/20 Cumbria - Sword-Leaved Helleborines (Cephalanthera longifolia) are among my favourite
#orchids
and they were well worth the trip today. This magnificent example had strong features, reminiscent to me of plants I've seen on the continent
@EuropeanOrchids
#wildflowerhour
27/10/22 Cumbria - A view of this gorgeous ancient meadow in a small valley and some of the
#fungi
to be seen on this hillside; Smokey Spindles (Clavaria fumosa) and more of those amazing Ballerina
#Waxcaps
(Porpolomopsis calyptriformis)
I now have 6000 followers, thanks to everyone who keeps up with my travels and interacts! 2020 has been rubbish - lots of stress and uncertainty - but it's very easy to forget the good bits. When I feel down that's what I try to do, such as these beauties
#wildflowerhour
20/4/22 Lancs - It was a glorious evening so I didn't need much of an excuse to head out to see how the
#orchids
are doing. Just as the sun disappeared below the horizon, this lovely little Green-Winged
#Orchid
(Anacamptis morio) sat up nicely against the backdrop
#wildflowerhour
21/5/20 Cumbria - On such a fine day I couldn't resist visiting Sandscale Haws with the kids. Coralroot
#Orchids
(Corallorhiza trifida), Northern-Marsh Orchids (Dactylorhiza purpurella) and a long play on the beach overlooking the South Lakes were highlights
#wildflowerhour
30/10/22 Cumbria - Rebecca's already beaten me to getting this up on Twitter, but I had to post it myself too. Clavaria zollingeri (Violet Coral) and Porpolomopsis calyptriformis (Pink Waxcap)
#fungi
growing side by side in ancient grasslands on the banks of the Lune
#FungiFriday
28/5/2022 - I’m absolutely heartbroken to announce that my good friend
@BryanYorke
has passed away. I’d known Bryan for many years and shared countless adventures, particularly looking for ferns, gentians and orchids up on Hutton Roof. I’ll miss you so much, my dearest Bryan.
25/4/21 Co. Durham - As the days lengthen so does the amount of time one can spend outside; what better a reward for such long walks than Gentiana verna, the Spring Gentian? Only opening fully in bright sun, this relict adorns the short turf in parts of Teesdale
#wildflowerhour
19/5/22 - Highlight of my evening walk; Lady's Slipper
#Orchids
(Cypripedium calceolus) looking resplendent in the spring sunshine. A steep climb but well worth it! Some nice butterflies on the wing too
#wildflowerhour
30/3/19 Silverdale - Start them off young, as they say! My eldest turns six this summer but already has a fascination for wildlife, especially botany. She’s already got an eye for plant spotting and can get a pretty awesome shot of them too.
#herbologyhunt
#wildflowerhour
16/5/20 Yorkshire - No sign of Neotinea ustulata at the site I visited today but it turned out to be one of the best sites I've ever seen for Green-Winged
#Orchids
(Anacamptis morio). This immaculate example took my breath away
#wildflowerhour
22/5/20 Bucks - I decided to wander into some dark woodland to see if there was anything exciting in there and was surprised to see a colony of unusually tall Fly
#Orchids
(Ophrys insectifera) alongside the expected White Helleborines (Cephalanthera damasonium)
#wildflowerhour
7/6/20 Lancs - A rather interesting (and rather weird) example of Ophrys apifera (Bee
#Orchid
) completely lacking a labellum. Bee
#Orchids
are supposedly prone to variation (and abberations "lusus naturae" due to autogamy
#wildflowerhour
15/10/22 Cumbria - I love the colours of autumn but few live up to the vibrance of
#waxcap
#fungi
, unmissable on the short turf of ancient meadows in the Eden Valley
9/4/21 Lancs - A pair of
#cuteplants
from my very windy late afternoon walk; Rue-Leaved Saxifrage (Saxifraga tridactylites) and Vernal Whitlow Grass (Draba verna). Both of these plucky pioneers are small enough to fit on the tip of a finger and thoroughly charming
#wildflowerhour
20/10/19 Cumbria - Much of our late summer flora is gone but some of my favourite wildflowers continue to hang on, or even chuck up a beauty! There are still some magnificent Harebells (Campanula rotundifolia) decorating the submontane grasslands of the Lakes
#wildflowerhour
An issue that needs tackling and just one of the negative pressures that large pets can have - not to mention that it’s also disgusting. The effects of dogs (& cats) upon local wildlife can be devastating and the attitudes of owners can be hugely ignorant
2/6/19 Cumbria - Platanthera bifolia (the Lesser Butterfly
#Orchid
) is pollinated by hawkmoths, such as this Small Elephant Hawkmoth (Deilephila porcellus) which was seeking shelter. The evolution of spur length in this species has been driven by pollinator shifts
#wildflowerhour
16/6/24 Lancashire - The Dark Red Helleborine
#Orchids
(Epipactis atrorubens) are now in flower on the limestone pavements of the Morecambe Pavements SAC
#wildflowerhour
This wonderful trio of plants was a nice subject to work my latest camera on
Hello and thankyou to all my followers, I just noticed I’ve now got over 5000 which seems a big number for someone who mainly talks about plants. I’ve seen some belting stuff the last few days so here’s some of the highlights for anyone who may have missed them
#wildflowerhour
For the second day of Christmas I’d like to recall this glorious scene overlooking Morecambe Bay, of the Early Purple Orchids growing in huge numbers in North Lancashire.
This outstanding display is on par with any sight I can recall across Europe in the spring
#orchidfriends
5/6/21 - I checked on a "secret" Lady's Slipper
#Orchid
(Cypripedium calceolus) this weekend - this one is doing well!
While many of us will be enjoying this week's
#orchidchallenge
, please remember how much of our orchid flora is heavily threatened
#wildflowerhour
8/10/23 Cumbria - A lovely fresh example of the Violet Coral
#fungus
(Clavaria zollingeri), a rare species and an indicator of old unfertilised grasslands - themselves rare habitats that are often mycologically rich and nutrient poor. It is a red-list species in the UK
#chegd
I moved here seven months ago and have not mowed my lawn once (yet) to see what
#lawnflowers
we have
So far, Two Green-Winged
#Orchids
and an Early Purple, as well as Spring Cinquefoil, Cuckoo Flower, Speedwells, Dandelions, Buttercups, Violets, Clovers, Ferns...
#wildflowerhour
How on earth can someone claim, after wiping out an organic lawn and replaced it with a sheet of plastic, that they have turned a garden from “desolate” to “luscious” ?
18/4/22 Teesdale - The Spring
#Gentians
(Gentiana verna) are starting to flower up but only a handful of these arctic alpine relicts open up during the sunny intervals on a rather breezy day. Guess I’ll have to pop back then! 💙
#wildflowerhour
24/9/22 Cumbria - Coming across one of my favourite plants took me a bit by surprise because I wasn’t looking for it! Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia palustris) is a cracking little plant with large white and gold flowers that grows in marshes and damp grasslands
#wildflowerhour
If I dug up 600 *legally protected* Lizard Orchids I would quite rightly be branded a criminal and prosecuted for wildlife crimes. But someone WILL be digging these up to make way for a development - and that’s fine and dandy. Madness!
@joshual951
@LeifBersweden
@botany_beck
Lizard Orchids appearing at Betteshanger Country Park- the 2nd most important colony in the UK. Over 600 will be dug up in an unproven translocation experiment. They are ‘protected’under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Thread - What is a wildflower meadow and why are native species important?
Wildflower meadows contain flowering plants which were not sown or planted there & occur naturally. They're important because of how other species interact with them. These relationships are often complex
02/04/23 Lancashire - Inspired by
@dunnjons
spectacular
#orchid
post from Rhodes I decided to go for a walk after the football. And I can’t believe I’ve found a Green Winged Orchid (Anacamptis morio) in full flower. Easily the earliest showing I can recall here!
#wildflowerhour
It’s
#NationalMeadowsDay
& 97% of our meadows have been lost
I imagine lots of well-meaning folk will get excited about sowing “wildflowers for bees”
Meadows are habitats!
Let’s instead get excited about recreating habitats - as done with this road verge - not planting flowers
26/6/21 - The road verges of Cumbria are at their spectacular best right now. A mass of spectacular colours including Ragged Robin, Meadow Vetchling, Crosswort, Pignut, Melancholy Thistle and Northern Marsh Orchids, this verge near Tebay is a botanical haven
#wildflowerhour
It’s been a surprisingly good
#orchidsummer
especially considering the first couple of months of the season was lost to
#lockdown
. From Lady’s Slippers and Irish Ladies Tresses to new finds and unusual hybrids, 2020 made me appreciate the fab stuff close to home
#wildflowerhour
A step in the right direction maybe but I’m a little irked by the message this photo conveys, it isn’t a well-managed meadow with thriving ecosystem but an introduction of non native species that contributes little
@Love_plants
@wildflower_hour
@BSBIbotany
21/6/21 Cumbria - Why I love Cumbria, in a single photograph. Pugsley's Marsh
#Orchid
(Dactylorhiza traunsteinerioides) growing alongside Mountain Everlasting (Antennaria dioica) and Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria) in a base rich flush on an unimproved pasture
#wildflowerhour
It’s utter madness wasting effort to destroy a small area of biodiversity, when there is absolutely no benefit towards doing so. The human obsession of sterilising everything in sight and replacing it with our own mess will be our undoing.
Yesterday the Birdsfoot Trefoil was growing again on the raised verge on Anscombe Road and bees were feeding on it. 🐝 Today the council strimmers returned to annihilate it. Please Worthing Council stop doing this.
@adurandworthing
@Love_plants
@LGSpace
15/6/22 Cumbria - An absolute treat of a sight; Platanthera bifolia (Lesser Butterfly
#Orchid
) growing among Mountain Everlasting (Antennaria dioica) on the upland limestone grasslands of South Cumbria. These loosely managed, gently grazed areas are a delight
#wildflowerhour
28/5/20 Lancs - What hope have our reintroductions such as Lady’s Slipper
#Orchids
when they are flattened by idiots flocking around and to delicate sites, carelessly trampling what they can’t see with their own eyes. Furious is not the word
#wildflowerhour
25/5/25 Cumbria - I don't think there are many more magnificent species than the Sword-Leaved Helleborine, hence my annual pilgrimage to this population at a lovely site on the Scottish border. Was wonderful to be joined by good friend
@JFDIecologist
for the trip
#wildflowerhour
Himantoglossum comperianum, probably the most spectacular European
#Orchid
I can think of. It’s actually six years to the day that I saw this plant on
#Lesbos
, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited!
11/5/23 Cumbria -
#Ferns
are cool but there's something about Moonwort (Botrychium lunaria) that makes finding one a great day. I didn't find any in my usual spot, so was extra happy to have found some just up from it. What a whopper
#wildflowerhour
It’s
#bluemonday
, supposedly the grimmest day of the year. Instead of moping however, I prefer to think of how wonderful the colour blue is and celebrate one of nature’s rarer colours!
Polygala calcarea, Chalk Milkwort. Dorset 18/04/2021
#wildflowerhour
17/4/21 Dorset - One of thousands of Early Spider
#Orchids
at
@DurlstonCP
overlooking the English Channel. These charming orchids never fail to delight!
@EuropeanOrchids
28/6/19 Cumbria - Today's my birthday, so I went looking for
#orchids
. I don't think I could have picked a better day for weather, so I headed up Scout Scar to look for Dark Red Helleborines (Epipactis atrorubens). They're just starting to come out!
#wildflowerhour
I can’t even begin to tell everyone how excited I was to receive
@LeifBersweden
’s new nature book in the post this morning, Where The Wildflowers Grow, about his botanical trips across the UK. Featuring some awesome botanists* and some great locations, this book is a delight
7/2/22 Cumbria - Went for a walk after dropping the kids at school this morning, and used it as a good excuse for a cheeky
#wallfern
hunt. Maidenhair
#Fern
and Rustybacks were the highlight for me - but they all have a special place in my heart
#fernfriday
1/6/20 Yorkshire - What do you call an
#orchid
that's small and white? A Small White Orchid! Pseudorchis albida is an easily overlooked, vulnerable species found on nutrient poor grasslands in the North, though it is rarely abundant at its sites
#wildflowerhour
@EuropeanOrchids