Close-up of Frog Orchid Careful! Don't tread on this delicate flower. It's so small you may not see a cluster of tiny frog orchid growing in short turf beside the path. It took us some searching to find it and I knew where to look from previous years. And this image isn't what I saw- my camera sees differently.
A small cluster of Frog Orchid intermixed with Red Clover and at a glance the two species looked similar. Some of the clover was fading and browned-off. My impression of Frog Orchid is of olive-brown flowers with merely a hint of pink- resembling a flower that had bloomed and was spent.
A small cluster of Frog Orchid intermixed with Red Clover and at a glance the two species looked similar. Some of the clover was fading and browned-off. My impression of Frog Orchid is of olive-brown flowers with merely a hint of pink- resembling a flower that had bloomed and was spent.
' Would you like to see Frog Orchid?' I asked a passing walker. He took a quick glance and walked on, unimpressed. My friends had come from Lancaster in the hope of seeing Frog Orchid and we were thrilled with our finds.
Vistas from Scout Scar escarpment are stunning, on a clear day. It's a Site of Special Scientific Interest, for the flora of its limestone grassland, for butterflies. But to find specialities like Frog Orchid takes local knowledge, and persistence. Queen Elizabeth I had a sophisticated spy network and couriers for spymaster Walsingham carried coded messages sewn into their clothes. Contemplating an intricate weave of flowers, seeding-grasses and plantains at my feet it seemed to me that Frog Orchid had been sewn into a tapestry by a skilled embroiderer and was a secret waiting to be discovered.
Vistas from Scout Scar escarpment are stunning, on a clear day. It's a Site of Special Scientific Interest, for the flora of its limestone grassland, for butterflies. But to find specialities like Frog Orchid takes local knowledge, and persistence. Queen Elizabeth I had a sophisticated spy network and couriers for spymaster Walsingham carried coded messages sewn into their clothes. Contemplating an intricate weave of flowers, seeding-grasses and plantains at my feet it seemed to me that Frog Orchid had been sewn into a tapestry by a skilled embroiderer and was a secret waiting to be discovered.
Frog Orchid is not one of the most spectacular orchids, it's discreet, subdued in colour and even in short turf it's low to the ground. I feel the specimens we found are unduly tiny and - if they survive being trodden -on I hope they may grow a little taller. In a range of images I want to show the plant amongst Red Clover. It's easy to confuse the two so my images seek to distinguish them. Close-ups show tiny flowers each of a short stem and opening up from a central stem. This is what the camera sees and you'd only see this crouched down on the ground.
Felwort, Autumn Gentian is also a highlight on Scout Scar from late July into August. Again, I have several locations where I find them. I believe we did locate them but something was puzzling. Felwort has dark, linear leaves and what we found had the structure of Felwort. Flowers only open in good sunlight but I'd have expected to find well-developed buds and I found none. So another plant to return to, checking on progress.
There were Dark Green Fritillary too. Somewhat faded specimens, on a thistle on Kendal Race Course and others close by.
Felwort, Autumn Gentian is also a highlight on Scout Scar from late July into August. Again, I have several locations where I find them. I believe we did locate them but something was puzzling. Felwort has dark, linear leaves and what we found had the structure of Felwort. Flowers only open in good sunlight but I'd have expected to find well-developed buds and I found none. So another plant to return to, checking on progress.
There were Dark Green Fritillary too. Somewhat faded specimens, on a thistle on Kendal Race Course and others close by.
Sunday 27 a rather dull day so the light was different and Frog Orchid look even more pink. In close-up, the structure of the tiny flowers shows better.
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