The end of the Orchid Season in our area

   Wed.4th August 2010

         Over the past week we've probably found the last two species of orchids that grow in our area. We came across a few late flowering Fragrant Orchids in an old Quarry in Clitheroe and a couple in fresh specimens in fairly marshy ground at Ribblehead in the uppermost reaches of Ribblesdale. The second of the late flowering orchids is the Broad Leaved Helleborine which grows deep in the woodlands in the Ribble Valley, this year I caught them at their best with some large healthy flower spikes amongst them. There is the late flowering Autumn Lady's Tresses that grows in a few locations around Morcambe Bay in the end of August and into September but whether I seek them out I'll decide later.

 Fragrant Orchid.......If in any doubt about identification a good sniff is all it needs, it's the only orchid with this distinctive perfume

 

                      The two fresh Fragrant Orchids up at Ribble Head. After further reading I'm fairly sure that these two  are Marsh Fragrant Orchids because of the wet conditions they were growing in,
infact they were growing amongst Marsh Hellerborines

   Deep in the woods of the Ribble Valley ... Broad Leaved Helleborines

                     The flowers seem to be much redder this year