Leckhampton 15th July 2016 (SO 9459217631)

A journey down to Wiltshire provides an opportunity to drop into a few Gloucestershire locations on the way. We are a bit early for the Helleborines, but at least the Achlorophyllous BLH is but a short  diversion. As had been reported elsewhere, it has reappeared this year, and is strikingly obvious poking up above the ivy. However, it looks like the flowers buds on the upper part of the stem do not seem to have developed. It will only have a few flowers this year (not that any formed seed in 2015). The day is rather chilly for July (a situation soon to be reversed) and the wind blowing down the road makes photography difficult. The Var. chlorantha next to it looks good, but as it is in tight bud there is no way to tell that this plant is in any way unusual yet. The other Broad-leaved Helleborines are still some way off flowering with the top o the stems bent over; they seemed later at this site than at other sites last year.

    
The unpigmented plant, the Var, chlorantha and a typical Broad-leaved Helleborine

Barrow Wake 15th July 2016 (SO 9314915376)

Another short diversion off our journey involves Barrow Wake. And it's really  only to be able to say that we have seen the Musk Orchids this year.  They are perhaps a few days past their peak, both on the slope below the viewpoint, and on the grass behind it, but grow in large numbers.
The Broad-leaved Helleborines near the gate, and one of those seen behind  the car park do not seem to be there this year, and the remaining one,  though sturdy and tall, does not have such a 'neerlandica' look to it at present. The flower spike does not look crowded and the leaves do not appear particularly crowded lower down the stem. That may change when it is in flower.

  
The Musk Orchids x3 (left) and the Broad-leaved Helleborine (right)

Others in flower here are the Pyramidal Orchids and the Common Spotted Orchids (just).

Workmans Wood 15th July 2016 (SO 8974210854)

2016 is reportedly a bad year for the Red Helleborines, with only one in flower each at this location and that in Hampshire. There were three here, but slugs apparently got there first. Coming here was said to be a waste of time, but we were nearby and it is likely our only chance. A few clues had been posted, like that it could be seen from the lower fence  from a couple of positions, but you need a good zoom lens. Unfortunately the lower track past the compound is a couple of feet lower than ground level inside, putting us at a bit of a disadvantage. We must have spent 30 minutes peering into the undergrowth, zooming in on anything vaguely of the right colour, or the right form sticking up above the vegetation - especially where a stick or post marker stood. There was a nice large Broad-leaved Helleborine deep in the depths of the compound just coming into flower, but no C. rubra flowers. However, there was, in the lower  right corner, marked with a stick, a non-flowering plant that could only be a Red Helleborine from the leaves and general appearance. So (making up my own rules) I can count this a half sighting.

    
The vegetative Red Helleborine and the flowering Broad-leaved Helleborine

The lane from Sheepscombe down to the woods is home to Common Spotted and Pyramidal Orchids at the roadside.

Pewsey Downs 15th July 2016 (SU 1123763396)

The quest for the late-flowering Burnt Orchid starts here on the downland  just south-west of Marlborough. We take the path from the car-park and  head towards the hill fort summit on the basis that we will cover all altitudes on the climb; often you find orchids growing in a band across a hillside where the conditions are just right for the fussiest of  species. It's not until we get to the outer earthbank of the fortifications that we see any orchids in any numbers, and these are the  Common Spotted Orchids towards the end of, or past flowering. There is a scattering of Pyramidal Orchids, but they seem solitary specimens. No Burnt Orchids are found, so the highlight of the day are the Frog Orchids. I am familiar with the (mainly) green flowered plants at Eryrys and have seen (many many years ago) more brown tinged flowers at Minera. But here there are some quite hyper-pigmented purplish flowers, and some rather startling near shocking pink plants. I have never seen this shade in any of the books. Also found was a presumed  (based on colour and leaves and location) Chalk Fragrant Orchid right at the end of flowering. Some of the other flower stems with developing seed capsules are possibly more of the same.

 
The Frog Orchids - hyper-pigmented, pink forms, and a hypopigmented example
  
The spurs clearly visible on this ex-Fragrant Orchil, and the view from the summit

The walk across to view the Alton Barnes White Horse figure yielded no further orchids.

Parsonage Down 16^th July 2016 (SU 0345141236)

This is said to be the home of the largest colony of Burnt Orchids in  Britain. How could we fail. Access is down a by-way apparently open to all traffic, but in reality only to off-road 4x4 vehicles. Are they  responsible for creating the humps and ditches on which other cars would get beached? The reserve entrance is nearly a mile from the road, but here the only movement seems to be Marbled White butterflies, and the only sounds are the skylarks. We are at what is said to be the best part of the reserve for orchids, near a prehistoric enclosure. However the grass and other vegetation is all well over a foot long. We make our way down the gentle slope (with some difficulty) but we would need to be directly by any orchids to catch a glimpse of them - they would be buried in all the other growth. Is this all part of reserve management? The temperature today in now hitting 26C in the shade and there is none. We abandon the search reluctantly. The best we can do for sightings is a couple of Pyramidal and Common spotted Orchids on the side of the by-way. Even the prehistoric fort by the main A303, which looks interesting from the map, is off bounds to casual visitors.

Coombe Bassett 16^th July 2016 (SU 1106925249)

This is another site famed for its wild flowers and in particular Burnt Orchids. Indeed much of the top end on the reserve is a mass of wild flowers, but again and alas no orchids at all. We do think about going to the  slopes at the far (southern) end, but some cows with their calves are  getting very agitated by our presence, bellowing loudly, so it is not a good idea to delve further. Nearby is Clearbury Rings, another Burnt  Orchid site. But this is yet another long walk from the road for someone still on crutches, and what has prevented Burnt Orchids appearing here, may well have affected those growing just a few miles away too.

At Durrington Walls later that day we find a few scattered Pyramidal Orchids.

Ladle Hill 17^th July 2016 (SU 4782156878)

This location is over the border in Hampshire, and I did get notice before setting out down south that it was home to a number of Burnt Orchids this year. For me it wasn't an easy site. First there was a mile walk  down a tree-lined wagon track, and then Ladle Hill to climb. It is a bit steep on the approachable northern side. Again, there are numerous wild flowers, but here and there are also quite a lot of Common Spotted and Pyramidal Orchids, which bodes well. Ladle hill also has a hillfort on top, just like Caburn where we saw the early flowing Burnt Orchids in May. Eventually reaching the fortifications we can see that the orchids are more numerous in the shorter grass, and it's not long before some Burnt Orchids are found. They are actually quite strikingly obvious, with the deep purple-brown contrasting with the white. Despite their small size they can be seen from several feet away. In total, in this one small area, we find 50-60. There is quite a range of differences between plants. The lip shape shows many variations on a theme, whilst  the spots can be few and large or many and small. My favourites are where there are 3 down the middle looking like big purple buttons on a pale pink romper suit. You can see though, that where 2 or 3 grow in a group that they have very similar patterns suggesting vegetative reproduction. One  group a bit detached from the others has a more purple lip background especially at the margins. Despite this they still stand out amongst the other flowers. That we easily spotted these means that are the other three sites we hadn't been near any and missed them.

The Burnt Orchids showing some variation. The more purplish group in the bottom right

Also at the summit we find a few more Frog Orchids in the purple coloured variation (there were probably many more hidden in the vegetation) and the last vestiges of Common Fragrant Orchids in flower.

      
A `pink' Frog Orchid, expended Fragrant Orchid, and Common Spotted and Pyramidal Orchid

Alyn Waters Country Park 22nd July 2016 (SJ 3287055112)

A third visit here this year, and back on the Llay side. I am expecting only to see the Helleborines. Not a good start though, when the first batch of Green-flowered Helleborines are all missing their flower spikes. This is largely repeated on the next little location that I look at. Now, this could be rabbits, but others have mentioned a lot of slug damage to orchids this year, as a result of a mild winter and wet spring. Whichever the culprits are, they do have a preference for GFH flower spikes. One oddity is a single plant with stripy variegated leaves.

  
An intact Green-flowered Helleborine secluded under the bushes
and the variegated leaf plant in a more open position

The Dune Helleborines have  only minimal such damage, so are less tasty or have something in the  alkaloid department that offers a degree of protection. However the Dunies do not seem so prolific this year and in a couple of areas where good  numbers appear they are quite sparse. Ruling out entire plants being eaten, it must be the weather in the earlier part of the year having a negative influence. Does anybody ever do a yearly census of plants and correlate that against the weather? I am convinced that the flowers look smaller this year too. Harrap declines any actual flower dimensions, but the dimensions seem to be at the lower end of those quoted by Delforge. I think the Gwersyllt side would be a better bet this year for Dune Helleborines.

The Common Spotted Orchids seem to be persisting well, while the Common Twayblades are finishing. The latter do not seem to have set much seed. Only a small proportion have swelling ovaries. This may be a good thing considering how much they appear to be taking over here! On the novelty side one tight group of Twayblades have flopped over into a rosette pattern.

  
Ovaries failing to swell, and the rosette of 8 Twayblades

Newborough Forest and Warren 25th July 2016 (SH 3963763809)

I should log the woodland and dune slacks at Newborough as separate  locations as they are essentially different habitats with some difference in their orchid populations. A job for another day.
Strangely the last time we visited Newborough Forest was way back in 2007. It  doesn't quite seem like 9 years, but this will be the first time there that the local Helleborines have been in flower when we have been there. Even prior to this diary being kept we seemed to go for the day in June, or well before they flowered with a well bent over flower spike. So I have only been able to assume that they are Dune Helleborines that I have seen there.
The habitat is so like the woods at Ainsdale that it impossible not to expect Dune Helleborines here. So why no Green-Flowered too? I have my own little theory about  some of Britain's endemic orchids. Could Newborough be the original home of the Dune Helleborines and, due to the essentially westerly winds, have spread eastwards to Alyn Waters, Ainsdale, Sandscale, and the Tyne locations? E. phyllanthes however, is a more widely dispersed species  including mainland Europe. As such it would have spread north and west after the last ice age. Is it possible that it hasn't nor never will reach Anglesey? Does Snowdonia put a block on small scale species creep? I digress
The Dune Helleborines here grow in scattered groups in the more open parts under the Corsican Pines. It looks much the same as the Alyn Waters population. They are beginning to go over a bit and some early ones are setting seed. There are still a good number of Common spotted Orchids in flower, while the Pyramidal  Orchids are more advanced. Some marsh orchids, presumably North Marsh,  previously seen here, are well and truly finished, but only a very few have actually set seed. Is this another example of the 2016 climate, with the more usual pollinators not coinciding with flowering this year?

Some nice tall Dune Helleborines (not all were like this) and one fruiting already

Common Spotted, Pyramidal and (presumed) Northern March Orchids

A quick trip into the Warren was just to have a look at the Marsh  Helleborines. Again, we have not been here at the right time to catch them in flower. Well. they are now, and easy enough to find. What I do  notice is that most lack the bright magenta colour on the sepals and  petals. At Sweeney Fen last year there were a mixture of examples like  these and those in the pink. Not a habitat effect, because they could be found quite close to each other. This is not Var leucantha I suspect I found at Kenfig, more a hypo-pigmented variation.

Aberffraw 25th July 2016

The road north from Newborough passes through the dunes at Aberffraw. We stop, just for 10 minutes to see if there are any Marsh Helleborines around. No, but there are some Pyramidal Orchids on their last legs. This location would be best looked at in June, but so would Ainsdale, another site I have not visited in early summer and easier to get to.

Marford Quarry 29th July 2016 (SJ 3547855854)

I am here on a quest for a few Dune Helleborines that have come to someone's notice. It's an obvious conclusion that they have spread from Alyn Waters. under 2 miles south west of here as the crow flies. Despite some directions, and knowledge that they were under birch trees, we had no luck despite an extensive search. I also check out a couple of areas with pines that closely resemble the Formby habitat of this species. There's still 2017 though.
While we are here we have a quick look at the Green-flowered Helleborines in the glade near the railway line. The undergrowth is getting a tad tall, and it takes a little bit of searching to locate 12 of them. Only a couple are missing tops, but they seem reluctant to open their flowers this year. Sadly, in every picture I have took of these they have looked dull and gloomy. They are not brightly coloured and the sun does not penetrate this bit of the woodland.
A first for here though is a small clump of quite mature Common Twayblades. An area up the top once boasted a sign saying these were present up there, but was old and faded; none were to be seem. These were in the open at the bottom of the quarry proper.

Marford Woods 29th July 2016

Here as part of a round trip of the local Helleborine locations. These Broad-leaved Helleborines seem to be putting on a better show this year than 2015. We look around a bit further and find some new, but similar, spots with some nice specimens. What takes my eye today is the number of good sized plants virtually a metre tall. Actually three good plants have survived boys on bikes, while two smaller ones next door have been excommunicated from their rhizomes. There is always a good range of colour here, from quite pale, through to sombre purple shades. One pinkish plant has lateral sepals rather wider than usual; almost circular. Below are some of today's favourites, but best are two that are doing good imitations of Dark-red Helleborines. The flowers are just pure deep red.

The `giants'

The Dark-red imitators

In 2014 I though that some Hellborines, closest to the entrance could possibly be self pollinating. Though the flowers had been open a few days the ovaries were quite swollen compared to others on site at the same stage of flowering. Today I see that again. Clustered in one area, variously coloured flowers were involved. Close ups of flowers involved do show a complete if degenerating rostellum, no viscidium present, and little evidence that the pollinia have crumbled in order to self-pollinate. Perhaps they get fertilised within hours of opening. Could there be a wasps nest nearby? Here are some pictures for you to judge for yourselves.

Alyn Waters 29th July 2016

We return to the Gwersyllt side to see how the Dune Helleborines are doing, having seen those on the Llay side a few days ago. These too are well and truly at the ending of flowering. I wish we had caught these little beauts at their peak because now their reproductive structures are disintegrating and they all look a bit sad. All are under the trees and in shade, so photos are not the best.

Bodnant 30th July 2016 (SH 7989372186)

Three years ago, at the end of August, at Bodnant Gardens, I chanced upon some Helleborines with fruiting bodies growing under the cover of Rhodedendrons. Today is the chance to show that they are Broad-leaved Helleborines. They grow next to a bed labeled area 27, below a giant sequoia, along the top path above the dell. Yes, they are that species, and there are about 20 plants in this spot in flower, with others sporadically in other beds along that path. You can clearly see a viscidium on some of these flowers.
What other visitors thought of me on all fours crawling under the bushes is irrelevant. Clearly the gardening team know about these and leave them be.