Military Orchid (Orchis militaris): Today I found myself back in Buckinghamshire, this time on the hunt for another new orchid to the UK list, the military orchid.
Homefield Wood reserve is nestled in a beautiful part of the world, just north of the Chilterns. The reserve is a short stroll along a Forestry Commission track that intersects a woodland plantation. The military orchids can be found in a couple of meadows and are well sign posted.
The soldiers stood out like sore thumb as instead of the typical military camouflage outfit these military orchids wore a raspberry-ripple pink outfit.
This year I always seem to be a week behind, earlier in the afternoon I went to Hartslock Nature Reserve in Oxfordshire, to find a crispy looking monkey orchid, too dry and too hot to last.
And it was the same for these orchids, some were still looking fine with individual flowers in great condition but on the whole the colony was on its way out fro another year.
Military orchids are pterry similar to both the lady orchid and to monkey orchid, they are all robust gregarious orchids. These orchids sepals and petals form an extended hood and in the case of military orchids they form a pointed hood likened to that of a soldiers helmet, but one which is pale on the outside and marked with darker purple or sometimes green parallel lines inside.
This was a really nice place and is know for fly, bee, spotted, common twayblade and white helleborine of only the later two I was able to find, although the helleborine was still in bud.
