Orchid Time

We set out this morning, for a walk to Osborne's Pond and to check on the progress of the Bee Orchids and we were delighted to see that they are beginning to flower in the recent warm weather.

Still rather sparsely spread, they are nevertheless, quite exquisite in their form and colour.

And they are not the only orchids to be found in flower right now. The Common Spotted Orchids are also beginning to open their flowers. This one was blooming in Pewit Carr a few days ago, but they are also blooming in the wild flower meadows of Shipley Park, although their shape varies considerably.

Shorter and more 'squat', those we found this morning, were less patterned than the Pewit Carr orchids.

Walking towards Shipley Hill, we were just thinking we had seen the best of the orchids for today, when we were confronted by a patch of several dozen tall, purple and extremely beautiful  Southern Marsh Orchids.

Southern Marsh Orchids hybridise readily with their Common Spotted cousins, so it can be difficult to separate the two species and the hundreds of intermediate varieties.

As always, it's worth getting down to ground level to get a closer view.

No doubt there will be many more pictures of orchids to come this summer.