Autumn Lady’s-tresses Orchid: (Spiranthes spiralis) The Autumn Lady’s-tresses are out now and a must see little gem of a plant. They unfurl their sprilaised flowers at the time of year when most plants have set seed.
They get their scientific name of “spiralis” which describes the arrangement of flowers that form an elegant spiral up the stem.
Autumn Lady’s-tresses flower from August to September and can be found on calcareous grasslands or sandy dunes of Jack Scout, near Jenny browns point, Cranforth. Here there is a large colony growing on the limestone hills that have short but not overly cropped grassy sward.
Up close the Orchid have crystalline petals that appear through the lens as fresh and crisp as fresh snow, these are enhanced by the pastel green stems that has short sparkly hairs on.
This is a new Orchid tick for me and I was surprised to how small they actually are, I was even told by Isabel Hardman who kindly gave me some information and directions the night before.
They grow no more than 7-20cm high when flowering they are not easy to spot. Stopping to look closer at what appears to be a short grass flower head can often lead to their discovery.
Purple Heron: From Jack Scouts I went on to Leighton Moss where I saw my first UK Purple Heron, and although it was probably the worst view of a Purple Heron I've had in my life I was happy to finally have caught up with one and have it on the list.
