Talacre 1st June 2024 (SJ 11308 84954) 

I suddenly remembered that last year when we visited here the visit was cut short by a nightmare of a thunderstorm. We we soaked to the skin. Moreover, that visit was three weeks later in the year and we had missed some of the early flowerers. Time to make amends. This is a good week to visit in fact, at least for 2024, bearing in mind the vagaries of the British seasons. There are some cracking Northern Marsh Orchids and some cracking pink flowered Early Marsh Orchids. Not so many coccineas as I would have liked, but still some nice ones of those. There are plenty of all these in an area that looks as if it was flooded earlier in the year, with lots of horsetails coming up. Certainly, some parts are wet underfoot. It is here, surprisingly, we find some 12 Bee Orchids. Only one had been seen by us here previously over a number of visits, but these look established plants. I did not expect to see them in the damper areas. Elsewhere there are Common Twayblades and Common Spotted Orchids beginning to flower.

So what about the hybrids here. Previously I have suggested that some of the spotted leaved  candidates may be what are called the Welsh Marsh Orchid and some D. xvenusta. The former match a population at Minera Quarry with a rather consistent appearance, while the hybrids have a more varied appearance. Today there were none of those, so perhaps both are later flowering. The first hybrid below has unspotted leaves, pale NMO general colouring, and EMO lip markings, so a hybrid of those two - D. x latirella. The second has lightly spotted leaves, CSO general apperance, but with EMO like petals and something of an EMO lip pattern - D. x kernerorum. The third is similar but more CSO like. The fourth could actually be a Southern Marsh Orchid.

Porth Tyn Tywyn 5th June 2024 (SH 3292 7174) 

Having heard that there were Early Marsh Orchids here, we head off to this small area of dunes just south of Rhosenigr on Anglesey. Despite tracking up and down and back and forth all we can see orchiddy is a few Pyramidal Orchids in the marram grassed area facing the sea.

Cors Bodeilio 5th June 2024 ( SH 50659 77326 )

There are still some orchids I want to see here despite quite a few visits. Hopefully this is the best week. We have brought wellies, but I am hoping that having these does not tempt me into the really fenny parts where I have had mishaps in the past. In fact they are needed as what has been firm ground previously is decidedly quite damp this year. There seems to be a slight reduction in numbers of orchids beside the start of the boardwalk at first glance, but I may be wrong. The Northern Marsh Orchids, Heath Spotted Orchids, and Early Marsh Orchids seem to cluster in small groups as if each prefers a particular spot. Over the bridge that spans the drainage ditch what used to be grassy with a scattering or orchids is now invaded by bog myrtle - despite the presence of the ponies. They probably do not like its medicinal small and taste. The orchids are still here, but now harder to find. I spot a few plants that look like Narrow-leaved Marsh Orchids, but do not quite tick all the boxes, though they do stand out somewhat. The flower spike certainly a bit bald on one side, and the leaves are decidedly narrow. However it is the lips that are wrong. There is no long central projection and the patterning is untypical. I am loathe to go down the path of NLMO hybrids with HSG, CSO, EMO or even NMO.
The really muddy area is now electric fenced in, so I cannot be tempted to try and find the green-flowered Fly Orchid which has flowered here in the past. That is the one item I am most desperate to see. Is the fence to protect the plants, humans or ponies? On they way back I spot a grouping of very white Heath Spotted Orchids, but unfortunately all have just a trace of pink spotting ruling out var leucantha.
There are also a few red flowered forms of the Early Marsh Orchid, despite this being an inland fen rather than a sand dune. There is a more violet-red form reported from nearby Rhos-y-Gad (sadly no obvious public access). There is one Early Marsh with a hint of violet to it.

 
Three of the best: Northern Marsh, Heath Spotted and Early Marsh
 
The near white Heath Spotted and two ‘pretenders’ to the Narrow-leaved taxon
 
The var coccinea and the more violet-red flowered specimen

Maes y Pant 6th June 2024(SJ 35397 55187)

What a difference a week makes. Plenty more Bee Orchids in flower today, but not as many as last year and only one abnormal form. But that looks like a Wasp Orchid! Do these abnormal forms come and go, reverting to normal? Another looks quite odd until I realised the lip was part eaten. and another looked like it was going to sleep. Only one paler flowered specimen to be down below in the woodland.