The flowering season is now in full swing. These two plants (top is Common Spotted, the one below is a Green Winged) were taking full advantage of the sunny Bank Holiday weekend. If you have the chance to visit a meadow this year, now is the time to do it. Well,, actually, anytime is a good time to visit a meadow, but the orchids are bringing some striking colour to the grasslands at the moment. There is plenty of yellow around, but the blues and reds are more the preserve of our orchids. Of course it is easy to find exceptions to such generalisations, but the idea is sound. At the same time that these two species were out there was another orchid in full flower and that was our Twayblade. A very easily overlooked plant with its two leaves and small greenish-yellow flowers, but it is another species that indicates how well a meadow is doing. This one, which is Eade's Meadow, close to Bromsgrove, is doing very well. It is under the stewardship of Worcestershire Wildlife Trust and they do a very good job of maintaining a meadow that was a result of decades of farming practice in tune with the land.
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AuthorDr Wilson Wall, grower of orchids. A scientist by inclination and training. Categories |