2016 probably won't see the large number of new sightings I made in 2014, but with a bit of luck and favourable headwind I could match 2015. The season starts with an overseas trip to Majorca during that island's orchids season. While its not noted for species like some other Mediterranean locales it was fun and is on the western side of Europe - other Med trips have been central and easterly meaning a few different orchids to the last couple of years.

A May trip to Kent and Sussex promised much, and I did see all that I wanted to see. But not before injuring my foot on the North Downs and hobbling into Ashford A&E.

From now it will be whatever new sites come to light from either luck or research, and revisits to some old sites. Most of all though, I will be looking at likely locations that don't get a mention for orchids, hopefully for something new and exciting. The entries in this account are getting more of a narrative and more photos compare to the early days, making this more than just a log of species and places.

This year I have recorded 48 species and hybrids and varieties, on 52 location visits - 39 different locations and 13 of these were new to me; some excellent, but others (some with a good reputation) were a bit of a let down. It would have been more locations had I not injured my foot in Kent! This has hampered excursions during the summer. There have been just three new species, but with hybrids and varieties added I am reasonably happy with the year. There is still some to aim for in 2017.

I started these pages with a blog style format so that most recent entries appear at the top of a page. However it has become clear that with multiple visits to the same site, and only posting pages periodically, that readers will read a conclusion before the prologue. So the 2016 pages have been `flipped' to be read downwards in date order. Makes sense to me.

New Sightings for 2016:
Early Spider Orchid Ophrys fucifera
Burnt Tip Orchid early flowering Neotinnea ustulata ustulata
Burnt Tip Orchid summer flowering Neotinnea ustulata aestivalis
Small White Orchid Pseudorchis albida
Fly Orchid Ophrys insectifers Var. subbombifera
Bee Orchid Ophrys apifera Var. belgarum
Marsh Fragrant Orchid Gymnademia densiflora Var. albida
Un-Violet Helleborine
Lady x Monkey Orchid hybrid Orchis xangusticruris
Dactylorhiza xinsignis
Dactylorhiza xlatirella
xDactylocamptis
Frog Orchid pink form Dactylorhiza coeloglossum
variegated leaf Green-flowered Helleborine