In Search of the Green-winged Orchid

Leyburn old Glebe YWT

Barry at Leyburn Old Glebe This wonderful flower meadow near Wensley contains many wild flowers, foremost of which are the green-winged orchids [anacamptis morio]. These medium sized orchids come in a range of colours. The 'green wings' are less prominent on the darker forms but some of the photos show them quite clearly.

My first ever green-winged orchid.

Green-winged Orchid Green-winged Orchid A white form. Many spikes are small with few flowers.

Green-winged Orchid

Green-winged Orchid A paler form, bronze-green lines showing.

Green-winged Orchid Green-winged Orchid Green-winged Orchid Field naturalist at work. Barry gets up close to anacamptis morio.

Barry at Leyburn Old Glebe The perfect spike.

Green-winged Orchid Green-winged Orchid Whilst admiring this specimen Barry pointed out another flower, an even rarer orchid, the burnt or burnt tip orchid, neotinea ustulata. This treasure is a really diminutive species: photographs can be very misleading in terms of scale. These flowers were barely 3-4 inches high.

Burnt Tip Orchid Burnt Tip Orchid Near Tiggy we saw crane flies mating.

Crane fly Next a walk near Morton-on-Swale produced no corn buntings just yellowhammers and a rook.

Yellowhammer Yellowhammer Rook

At Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park things were pretty quiet - the nightingale especially. A willow warbler sang heartily in the sunshine.

Willow Warbler A tip-off from a friend of Barry's took us up to Dorman's Pool in search of a lifer butterfly, the dingy skipper. We saw good numbers of butterfly including peacock...

Peacock ...small tortoiseshell...

Small Tortoiseshell Small Tortoiseshell ...Wall...

Wall ...and the dingy skipper now takes centre stage! Tiny and easily missed...

Dingy Skipper Dingy Skipper Dingy Skipper