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Where on earth did you buy them from ? Can't say I've ever seen them growing in wet ground as they are woodland plants but I guess you never know !

@@OrchidHunter 🤣 eBay! There’s a seller of native orchids which he grows from seed and also supplies seed. I’ll try and send a link.

If that was in the UK Tony then Kew Gardens must have been confused as half of those orchids don't exist in the UK, if they exist at all ! I presume the "Lesser Spotted Orchid" was a Common Spotted Orchid, the "Pyramid Orchid" presumably a Pyramidal Orchid, never heard of a "Ball Orchid" nor a "Little Horned Orchid". You sure it was Kew Gardens ?!!!

I ought to ask and find out. I have been told by others from the area that it was under water for several months as a result of a drainage channel being deliberately blocked after "experts" had declared the area was too dry. Seems they might have overdone things !!!

@OrchidHunter yes, it may well be that. However, the range of wildflowers has diminished since sheep grazing has continued into the summer. I think they are still on site now! They are just moved from one part of the field to another!

Honestly can't say I've ever seen a sheep down there but then I only visit in May/June.

@OrchidHunter the sheep have been there since at least the spring. They move them about the site, so you may have missed them. At this time of year, it should be full of wildflowers, but the abundance/diversity just doesn't appear to be there, which I believe is due to the sheep grazing. The levels in the grass contrast greatly from where you normally see the Early Marsh Orchids (low and nibbled!) and the fenced off area (much higher) by the ponds close to the sheds where the sheep have not been allowed to graze. It's not due to flooding that the grass level is so low because the conditions are similar on both sides of the fence. If anything, the fenced off area is usually wetter.

Superb for butterflies and moths too ...... and Common Lizards !!!

Probably not convinced about its value to your interest ...... all I can say is that it is genuinely worth the money and will pay you back over the years ahead !

@@OrchidHunter i think you’re right, thankfully you’re video has convinced me otherwise! :)

Thanks for letting me know !

It is a member of the orchid family so if you are one who wants to see all British orchids then you need to see these !

Yes it seems to have flown by but I was ready for it and made the most of every chance to get out even if that has left me exhausted ! Won't be worrying too much about helleborines for a couple of weeks and then I'll try and cover as many as I can in a mini tour ..... we don't have many up here.

Labour of love I can assure you !

Thanks for the heads up on the video numbering ..... Leyburn is now OH177 ! The two missing videos are part of a side-project that will probably kick off in a month's time or so. Based on social media observations, it is evident that this Summer has seen a huge influx of new orchid fans who are where I was at the beginning ..... ie: bewildered and unsure as to how to move off first base. This side project will hopefully provide some VERY basic videos to help newcomers move forward with a little confidence but I'm still working on it at the moment !

@@OrchidHunter in fact it's 0169 and 0170 my mistake

I was aware of it because I saw the very same orchid a few years back and highlighted it then but I only found out recently that it was a recognised and named variant which was only discovered in the mid 1970s.

The guy with the net was actually a moth man ..... not butterflies. Nice and knowledgeable chap !

Not sure which of the woods you are referencing. If you email me at orchidhunter AT peterboroughimages DOT co DOT uk then we can talk further.

Yes - you are right !

That's very kind of you ! As you enter the reserve, if you go up the grass path on the left all the way to the top, it flattens out on a plateau rammed with Common Spotted Orchids. I lost it somewhere to the immediate right soon after levelling out. Really appreciate your efforts. Thank you.

@@OrchidHunter I know where you mean and we looked there but did you go “off piste”? We will look at your video again and try and work out when you lost sound.

If you can email me at orchidhunter AT peterboroughimages DOT co DOT uk then I can send a map but all I know was that I was probably 3-4 metres in to the reserve from the left hand path on the flat section just above the slope. If you go to 7:48 in the video, on the raw clip I can hear the audio in the distance which means it is on the floor probably a few metres away from this likely Northern Marsh hybrid !

You have some magnificent orchid sites up there !

My pleasure 😊

Or as it should now be called on the fens - Dactylorhiza Praetermissa ssp. Shoenophila. Either way, a gorgeous little Dactylorhiza.

I tend to avoid those former "Pugsleys" as every time I believe I have one, I get told it isn't one because of one particular criteria or other. Seems to be a messy area where I'm not convinced the science as we see it, matches the reality out in the field !

@@OrchidHunter that’s basically the same sort of response that I get from locals orchid lovers in the know around this neck of the woods. My personal view is that there is a marked difference in what was ‘pugsleys’ marsh orchid by comparison to Praetermissa, or at least from what I’ve seen at thelnetham fen. Enough so that I wouldn’t just call it a Ssp, though I’m far from an expert.

Well done ..... plenty out there to keep you busy for years to come !

Its a much bigger site than I realised when I visited last year. Even with detailed instructions, it took me 40 minutes to find the hybrids ! Not surprised it has Fly Orchids, it looks right for them !

No idea - that one is well above my head !

@@OrchidHunter My thought was the Rattle is keeping the grass short, allowing more light to the orchids, but that's just a guess!

They are!

No certainty but consensus of opinion among those with experience of the site is that the strongly marked orchids are either Northern Marsh Orchid ( Dactylorhiza purpurella) or hybrids involving Northern Marsh Orchid. I'm happy to remain on the fence personally because while it is a plausible explanation, it is not not overly convincing as I'm yet to find what is to me an obvious Northern Marsh Orchid at the site.

@@OrchidHunter sorry yes, I did hear you mention that in the video regarding the northern Marsh. I often wonder if through foot traffic by orchid lovers, if some species hop from site to site as seed and if conditions suit, whether or not the odd anomaly takes up a new residence. I visited the Rex Graham site some years back to see military orchids and the first plant I found was a lone southern marsh, yet the ground at the site didn’t look suitable at all.

Kenfig is a very large site and is in the middle of nowhere. Saw nobody there over two days last year but did meet up with three orchid hunters this time so it doesn't see much traffic ...... unless they all turn up at weekends which I avoid ! Its a massive and long established hybrid swarm and although Northern Marsh may be few and far between, they were maybe more common in decades past thus their influence dates back to then. A place of many mysteries and unanswered questions ..... which makes it such a wonderful place to lose yourself in !

@@OrchidHunter haha, I tend to avoid the crowds too, I’m sure yours is impart because of filming but it’s hard to enjoy nature when surrounded by fellow humans en masse. Sounds like I might have to check out Kenfig next year, it looks amazing!

I would be interested if ever you find those var. Flavescens again ! You can email me any photos via orchidhunter AT peterboroughimages DOT co DOT uk !

Hi Paul. Thanks very much for the reply. I have tried sending you the photos a couple of times, but get an undeliverable as domain name not found. Any ideas? Cannot see a typo.

Sorry - my stupid error - revised email address up above now !

Thanks Paul. Have emailed the images over the updated address.

Were they fully open at Newmarket or still emerging ?