What a wonderful place, a botanist's paradise. Love all the other wild flowers with the orchids too, the Helianthemums are spectacular. Thank you for another great hunt
I started taking Orchid photographs on my weekly nature walks over ten years ago and not knowing what they were I sent copies to Kew Gardens to get them identified. They soon identified the Lesser Spotted Orchids of Great Brittian, Pyramid Orchids, Ball Orchids, Little Horned Orchids and Bee Orchids. That kept me intersted enough to look for them as I progressed over the fields and woodland the Local Farm Owner agreed I could walk and photograph the local wildlife, from Muntjac Deer to birds of prey. He was very surprised a month later when I had some of my photographs printed out and framed and accepted tham as a Gift from me for his permission to walk his Farm fields and woodlands. Now retired and suffering restriction on walking I now spend most of my day watching RU-vid videos like this one. Tony in Essex.
If that was in the UK Tony then Kew Gardens must have been confused as half of those orchids don't exist in the UK, if they exist at all ! I presume the "Lesser Spotted Orchid" was a Common Spotted Orchid, the "Pyramid Orchid" presumably a Pyramidal Orchid, never heard of a "Ball Orchid" nor a "Little Horned Orchid". You sure it was Kew Gardens ?!!!
I ought to ask and find out. I have been told by others from the area that it was under water for several months as a result of a drainage channel being deliberately blocked after "experts" had declared the area was too dry. Seems they might have overdone things !!!
@OrchidHunter yes, it may well be that. However, the range of wildflowers has diminished since sheep grazing has continued into the summer. I think they are still on site now! They are just moved from one part of the field to another!
@OrchidHunter the sheep have been there since at least the spring. They move them about the site, so you may have missed them. At this time of year, it should be full of wildflowers, but the abundance/diversity just doesn't appear to be there, which I believe is due to the sheep grazing. The levels in the grass contrast greatly from where you normally see the Early Marsh Orchids (low and nibbled!) and the fenced off area (much higher) by the ponds close to the sheds where the sheep have not been allowed to graze. It's not due to flooding that the grass level is so low because the conditions are similar on both sides of the fence. If anything, the fenced off area is usually wetter.
Great to see these! I went to see them a couple of times in 2021, there were only 3 then I think, two on one side of the road, one on the other. I was concerned the second time about the level of trampling round them from people taking photos (and obviously I had contibuted too, on my first visit) but this does not seem to have done them any harm at all.
Not at all boring, what a beautiful place, sort of botanists' paradise, not only the wonderful orchids, but all the other flowers plus Quaking Grass. Would love to go there; thank you.
Sound advice! I’m ashamed to say ‘britains orchids’ has been sat in my Amazon basket for 2 years now and I’ve been into orchids since childhood, either I’m tight fisted or forgetful, not sure what’s worse!
Probably not convinced about its value to your interest ...... all I can say is that it is genuinely worth the money and will pay you back over the years ahead !
You are right that there is a blaze of pyramidal orchids there in late June. Thanks for this video - mosy enjoyable. BTW if you go there again the village is pronounced ‘worram’ - something I learned when I first went there. .
That Pyramidal is a looker! I can’t believe how quickly we are whizzing through the orchid season. I went in search of E Purpurata in Groton wood (suffolk) yesterday and was left rather disappointed. Only 1 stem above ground, in a wood usually full of them. Even the well photographed noar hill violet helleborine had considerably less stems than usual, when I was down there a few weeks ago.
Yes it seems to have flown by but I was ready for it and made the most of every chance to get out even if that has left me exhausted ! Won't be worrying too much about helleborines for a couple of weeks and then I'll try and cover as many as I can in a mini tour ..... we don't have many up here.
I note you have two OH 176 videos But no OH170 or OH171 A magnificent 30 videos so far this season all informative and inspiring from the locations around the UK . Thank you for your sterling dedication to the Orchids
Thanks for the heads up on the video numbering ..... Leyburn is now OH177 ! The two missing videos are part of a side-project that will probably kick off in a month's time or so. Based on social media observations, it is evident that this Summer has seen a huge influx of new orchid fans who are where I was at the beginning ..... ie: bewildered and unsure as to how to move off first base. This side project will hopefully provide some VERY basic videos to help newcomers move forward with a little confidence but I'm still working on it at the moment !
Wasn't aware of that Pyramidal variant, will keep an eye out for it in future. By the way, what was the guy in the background at the end doing? Chasing butterflies with a net?!
I was aware of it because I saw the very same orchid a few years back and highlighted it then but I only found out recently that it was a recognised and named variant which was only discovered in the mid 1970s.
Thanks for sharing those beauties. I moved to the Morecambe area a couple of years ago and discovered Bee orchids in my lawn. Sparked a passion. There are hundreds on the land around here as well as Northern Marsh and Spotted which I’ve had come up in some of my garden pots.
We live in Leyburn and went to look for your mic. Two of us looked where you said but couldn’t find it. Hard I know but if you can narrow it down any more we will gladly go and look again tomorrow.
That's very kind of you ! As you enter the reserve, if you go up the grass path on the left all the way to the top, it flattens out on a plateau rammed with Common Spotted Orchids. I lost it somewhere to the immediate right soon after levelling out. Really appreciate your efforts. Thank you.
@@OrchidHunter I know where you mean and we looked there but did you go “off piste”? We will look at your video again and try and work out when you lost sound.
If you can email me at orchidhunter AT peterboroughimages DOT co DOT uk then I can send a map but all I know was that I was probably 3-4 metres in to the reserve from the left hand path on the flat section just above the slope. If you go to 7:48 in the video, on the raw clip I can hear the audio in the distance which means it is on the floor probably a few metres away from this likely Northern Marsh hybrid !
Thank you for sharing. I saw some Piramidal Orchids in Lullingstone Castle Estate. At least, seen some of them with my own eyes, without travelling for miles...
The only site similar to this for myself is thelnetham fen, some fairly interesting hybrids of the three Dacts that you mentioned. Also a bonus that they have what was/is D. Traunsteinerioides!
I tend to avoid those former "Pugsleys" as every time I believe I have one, I get told it isn't one because of one particular criteria or other. Seems to be a messy area where I'm not convinced the science as we see it, matches the reality out in the field !
@@OrchidHunter that’s basically the same sort of response that I get from locals orchid lovers in the know around this neck of the woods. My personal view is that there is a marked difference in what was ‘pugsleys’ marsh orchid by comparison to Praetermissa, or at least from what I’ve seen at thelnetham fen. Enough so that I wouldn’t just call it a Ssp, though I’m far from an expert.
CORRECTION: At 17:22 the "Common Spotted" has a flower that I can't come to terms with as Common Spotted. I would be happier with it being a pale Grandis Hybrid given the lightly spotted markings so typical of a textbook Southern Marsh !
Its a much bigger site than I realised when I visited last year. Even with detailed instructions, it took me 40 minutes to find the hybrids ! Not surprised it has Fly Orchids, it looks right for them !
Superb video. Interesting that all the orchids you've filmed this year seem to be growing in close association with the semi-parasitic Yellow Rattle... coincidence?
No certainty but consensus of opinion among those with experience of the site is that the strongly marked orchids are either Northern Marsh Orchid ( Dactylorhiza purpurella) or hybrids involving Northern Marsh Orchid. I'm happy to remain on the fence personally because while it is a plausible explanation, it is not not overly convincing as I'm yet to find what is to me an obvious Northern Marsh Orchid at the site.
@@OrchidHunter sorry yes, I did hear you mention that in the video regarding the northern Marsh. I often wonder if through foot traffic by orchid lovers, if some species hop from site to site as seed and if conditions suit, whether or not the odd anomaly takes up a new residence. I visited the Rex Graham site some years back to see military orchids and the first plant I found was a lone southern marsh, yet the ground at the site didn’t look suitable at all.
Kenfig is a very large site and is in the middle of nowhere. Saw nobody there over two days last year but did meet up with three orchid hunters this time so it doesn't see much traffic ...... unless they all turn up at weekends which I avoid ! Its a massive and long established hybrid swarm and although Northern Marsh may be few and far between, they were maybe more common in decades past thus their influence dates back to then. A place of many mysteries and unanswered questions ..... which makes it such a wonderful place to lose yourself in !
@@OrchidHunter haha, I tend to avoid the crowds too, I’m sure yours is impart because of filming but it’s hard to enjoy nature when surrounded by fellow humans en masse. Sounds like I might have to check out Kenfig next year, it looks amazing!
Hi Paul. Many thanks for the very enjoyable videos that you regularly post. Regarding Bee Orchids, at one site in Kent, I managed to fall over and land next to a patch of var. Flavescens a couple of years back. Never seen any before or since, but hope to go back to the site next year. Also, last weekend, at a site in Gloucestershire, came across one individual plant with very unusual markings and not sure where it fits in. Would really welcome your thoughts. Not on Facebook or X, so is there any way I can contact you / send you some photos?
I would be interested if ever you find those var. Flavescens again ! You can email me any photos via orchidhunter AT peterboroughimages DOT co DOT uk !
Hi Paul. Thanks very much for the reply. I have tried sending you the photos a couple of times, but get an undeliverable as domain name not found. Any ideas? Cannot see a typo.
