Greater-butterfly Orchid: (Platanthera chlorantha) I've been working in this area on and off for a few months on which back in May I visited the nearby nature reserve of Llanymynech Rocks in Pant, Oswestry.
On my mandarin visit I stumbled across my first ever greater-butterfly orchids, there were five spikes, two in full flower and three still in bud.
However I was working, and as I often am, I was rushing about before I left the house and didn't pack my camera bag and gear, so was unable to get anything more then a quick selfie.
I returned last night and as I walked over the short, springy turf of of this chalky limestone grassland I noticed a sprinkling of colour, purples, pink and whites of the different varieties of common spotted orchids and splashes of more intense electric pink of the less common pyramidal orchids.
The whole area looks stunning, set against the dramatic grey limestone cliff face.
Bee Orchid: (Ophrys apifera) I was thrilled that the butterfly orchids were still in good condition, not at their peak, but good.
After taking my fill of photos I noticed bedside me a spike from the very sexy bee orchid, these little orhrys orchids with their sex fulled show of colour and shapes are just great.
The cliff face at Llanymynech marks the beginning of a limestone outcrop that lies at the southern end of the carboniferous limestone which stretches from Anglesey and the Great Orme at Llandudno all the way in to Shropshire.
This special area had been mined for almost 2,000 years up until until the First World War which since its has been designated a nature reserve. you can still see the old stone tramways from the mining heyday dotted around the place.
The appearance of the flower lives up to its name as the lip closely resembles a bumblebee. It has three bright pink sepals and usually produces three to five flowers but exceptionally ten or more - the plant at the top of this page had eleven flowers.
Each fresh bee shaped flower had two dangling bright yellow pollinia, which are falling forward and down to rest on the stigma to facilitate self-pollination.
Common Spotted Orchid: (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) This orchid may be widespread and particularly common through the UK and around Llanymynech Rocks Nature Reserve, but it is no less beautiful.
The variations in colour and lip-markings between specimens bear testimony to the visual diversity that can be seen in a single orchid species.
There were a wide variety of shades of pink and even white specimens dotted throughout the area.
Absolutely stunning shapes and patterns, i could have spent hours photographing these.
On this lighter pink specimen the pattering on the latteral sepal were much more broken and spotted lines, the white specimen (above) appeared to have more of a pink solid line with spots in the middle.
Its no surprise to know that their name Dactylorhiza fuchsii, and the "fuchsia" part of the name should give you a largish clue as to what they look like, and what colour they are.
Pyramidal orchid: (Anacamptis pyramidalis) The purple-pink flowers are small and clustered in a dense flower at the end of a long spike, somewhat like a strawberry pink flavoured lollipop.
Again these orchids have a wide variety of specimens, some have flower heads that appear more spherical or globular. While others appear to have to have the typical pyramidal shape of the as yet mostly un-opened flower-head with a spike.
Really enjoyed this little gem of a nature reserve hidden away in Shropshire.
