{"id":15771,"date":"2022-04-19T09:00:03","date_gmt":"2022-04-19T07:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=60241"},"modified":"2022-04-19T09:19:11","modified_gmt":"2022-04-19T07:19:11","slug":"where-and-when-to-see-orchids-in-the-uk","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/where-and-when-to-see-orchids-in-the-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"Where and when to see orchids in the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Mike Dilger\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 19 April 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Surely no other habitat harkens back to a bygone era more than a lowland meadow brimming with orchids. Despite providing perhaps Britain\u2019s finest pinkish-purple spectacle, the disappearance of 97% of all our orchid meadows since World War II is a tragic and all-too-familiar tale. In a battle that pitched flower-rich meadows against both rapidly changing farming methods and the needs of an ever-expanding population, there was only ever going to be one winner.<\/p>\n

Meadows are often considered the quintessential summer habitat, as this is when the elevated temperatures see the meadow thrumming with grasshoppers<\/a>, bumblebees and butterflies. But for those with a botanical bent, May and June are certainly the best months to head off for an orchid fix.<\/p>\n

At the best sites, and depending on geology and geographical location, orchid spikes frequently appear in their thousands, with green-winged, early purple and common spotted orchids most abundant earlier in May, while fragrant and bee orchids will start appearing at the end of the month. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How do orchid meadows form?<\/h2>\n
While these orchidaceous meadows may appear to be the most natural of habitats, they are in fact the product of long-term human management. Also called hay meadows, these floristically rich grasslands were traditionally managed in a low intensity\u00a0manner that allowed for both the production of a hay crop and grazing by livestock.<\/p>\n
Unlike pasture that is often grazed all year-round, hay meadows tend to be free of sheep and cattle between late spring and mid summer. This crucially allows the orchids to flower and set seed before suffering the indignity of being eaten or trampled. Only once most flowers have completed their life-cycle, and ground-nesting birds have reared their young, will the meadow finally be harvested for hay and livestock allowed to return.<\/p>\n
This form of management allows not just the orchids, but all the wildflowers to thrive, while keeping the more aggressive grass and shrub species in check, which will ultimately prevent the site from reverting back to scrub.<\/p>\n
Another key feature the best meadows share is they\u2019ve all avoided the kiss-of-death from modern fertilisers. When combined with ploughing, this \u2018nutrient enrichment\u2019 favours the growth of a limited cast of often genetically improved and high-yielding species, such as perennial rye grass and white clover. The once-rich fields become irrevocably changed into bland and species-poor monocultures.<\/p>\n
Orchid species to look out for<\/h2>\n
Bee orchid (Ophrys apifera<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
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Green-winged orchid (Anacamptis morio<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
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