 |
| Bee orchid - Ophrys apifera |
Inspired by the sight of bee orchids in the unmown meadow of friends, I ventured out to Carney Commons to see if I could find any. Last year I found dozens, but when I visited 3 weeks ago I could find none. This time I found a single flower spike. And I found another 8 different kinds of orchids in flower too!
 |
| Marsh Helleborine - Epipactis pallustris - one of thousands |
 |
| Early marsh orchid - Dactylorhizo incarnata ssp incarnata |
 |
| Fly Orchid, Ophrys insectifera. Many hundreds of them, but perhaps fewer than last year |
 |
| Early Marsh Orchid, Dactylorhiza incarnata ssp. pulchella |
 |
| Common Spotted Orchid, Dactylorhiza ssp. fuchsii |
 |
| Not sure about this. Could it be a rather pale Western Marsh Orchid, Dactylorhiza occidentalis, or a hybrid? if the latter, between what? |
 |
| Twayblade, Neottia ovata. Sorry for the photo quality! |
 |
| Pyramidal Orchid, Anacamptis pyramidalis |
I also found seed heads of Early Purple orchids, Orchis mascula. But it was too early to find any Fragrant orchids, Gymnadenia conopsea - I must return in a couple of weeks!
Thank God for the amazing diversity of this family of plants, displaying his creative power through evolution!
