Flies and Fragrants and White Helleborine

Fly orchids are out now. Please keep an eye out for them, there are several old records that need to be refound.

Old 20th century records come from Castle Hill Wood, Totternhoe, where they may still occur. They were also recorded in the wooded area to the west of the Barton cutting above the A6, and also below the wood on the now rather scrubbed over steep hillside.

Other places where they were recorded include in the woods near Clapham, Kempston, Stagsden and Wilstead.

Fly orchid. Richard Revels

 

 

Any wood on calcareous soil could hold them, and they sometimes also occur in open and semi wooded areas.  Chris`s table gives  the locations.

 

1976	1986	Totternhoe Church End tetrad	Above Cross Keys	SP980219
1886	1886	Kempston Wood		SP94Y
22-May-1955	22-May-1955	Hanger Wood		SP997495
1935	1953	Runley Wood		TL066214
10-Jun-1994	10-Jun-1994	Barton Hills SSSI		TL089298
1-Jul-1832	31-Jul-1832	Wrest Park		TL03X
1886	1886	Wilstead Wood		TL04R
1882	1882	Milton Ernest		TL05D
1935	1953	Clapham		TL05G
1959	1959	Brown's Wood		TL0355
1882	1885	Hyde	Hoo Lodge, near	TL1118
1-May-1843	31-May-1843	Gravenhurst	Possibly Cainhoe	TL13D
1909	1909	Pegsdon		TL13F
1798	1798	Shefford	Chalky pastures near	TL13P
1795	1795	Hollwell	Bury Field	TL13S
1867	1867	Basmead Manor		TL16K

 

The first record is the Castle woods, and the Cross Keys does a good coffee and excellent food so there`s no excuse not to visit!

The Barton hills record was from open grassland with scattered scrub and could easily still be present.

 

Fragrant orchids are just coming out also, and have a  more restricted distribution than many other June flowering Orchids in the county. Colonies seem to be fairly static in my experience flowering in the same spot year after year. Here is the table.

 

1976	1986	Plough Inn, Eaton Bray tetrad		SP91Z
29-Jul-1999	29-Jul-1999	Well Head RNR		SP999203
1950	1950	Milton Bryan		SP93Q
1798	1807	Stevington		SP95W
16-Jun-1998	16-Jun-1998	Stockwood Park CWS		TL085190
1974	1974	Dunstable Five Knolls tetrad		TL02A
1880	1880	Zouche’s Farm	near	TL02K
1970	1975	Dyers Hall tetrad		TL02P
5-Jun-1988	5-Jun-1988	Dallow Downs CWS		TL074214
1973	1973	Galley and Warden Hills SSSI		TL092265
1-Jul-1949	25-Aug-1950	Galley Hill		TL09202725
1864	1864	Judge's Spinney	nr Milton Hill	TL0154
1798	1798	Clapham		TL05G
1-Jul-1843	31-Jul-1843	Gravenhurst Moor		TL13C

 

The Eaton Bray record looks like another opportunity for refreshment!

Stockwood park is a fairly recent record and well worth a look also. They could easily be lurking on Galley and Warden hills and Dallow.

Fragrant orchid

 

The Well Head Road- side Nature Reserve (RNR) is worth a look and the late date would point to the marsh fragrant  form which richard is very keen to photograph.

 

 A free copy of the "Wild Orchids of Bedfordshire" for the first finder of a confirmed Marsh fragrant  this year.

 

 

The lovely White Helleborine is also well out now.

 

 

1976	1986	Sewell tetrad		SP92W
1885	1885	Dunstable	Long plantation bordering Roman road to west of	TL02B
11-Jul-1999	11-Jul-1999	Kensworth		TL02F
05/06/1988	05/06/1988	Dallow Downs CWS		TL070213
13-Jun-1957	13-Jun-1957	Warden Hills	Triangle Wood	TL02X
1-Jul-1949	25-Aug-1950	Maulden Firs	woodland	TL093274
2-Jul-1949	29-Aug-1950	Leete Wood		TL088294
1976	1986	Cockayne Hatley Church tetrad		TL24P

 

Most of these locations are still likely to hold White Helleborines. There is a much more recent record for Leete wood at Barton than the table suggests and i am sure they are there.

 

Maulden firs close to Galley hill looks agood orchid area.

 

White Helleborine can grow in open grassland with some scrub, but seem happiest when in woodland, especially with beech trees. Even isolated beech trees in grassland can have them beneath the canopy. White Helleborine thrive on their association with the fungi that live with the beech tree roots.

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

xxxxx

Betwixt and Between......Twayblades!

Twayblades are just coming out and below is Chris`s table of locations that need searching to refind them..as with the Ealy-purples some of the woods are private and will need permission to visit, but some surveying can be done if footpaths exist.
 Don`t forget you can view these records on  a Google air map from the BNHS web site.

6-Jul-1998	Sundon Chalk Pits CWS		TL036282
26-May-1998	Dallow Downs CWS		TL070214
24-Apr-1988	Flitwick Wood CWS		TL023345
5-Jun-1989	Wrest Park Grounds CWS		TL09323511
28-May-1993	Kings Wood, Houghton Conquest CWS		TL052405
18-Apr-1999	Browns Wood CWS		TL025547
26-May-1993	Milton Ernest		TL022562
20-Apr-1988	Great and Little Early Groves CWS	Great Early Grove	TL092532
12-May-1987	Wilden Road Verges CWS		TL0856
31-Dec-1997	Penn and Worleys Woods CWS	Worley's Wood	TL025639
9-May-1989	Melchbourne Woods CWS	Lady Wood	TL034643
30-Jul-1989	Dairyborn Scarp CWS		TL112212
23-May-1992	Deacon Hill SSSI		TL122295
19-Apr-1988	Apsleybury Wood CWS		TL118325
2-Jul-1987	Poppyhill Pits CWS		TL1839
30-Apr-1994	Chicksands Wood CWS		TL103403
31-Mar-1989	Palmers Wood CWS		TL130446
6-Jul-1987	South of Bushmead Cross RNR		TL110595
31-Dec-1988	Great Barford	Fringe of woodland on Gt Barford House estate	TL139532
9-May-1987	Lady Wood CWS		TL127550
31-Dec-1990	Everton (v.c. 30)	Waterloo Farm tetrad	TL15V
7-May-1994	Bushmead CWS		TL115604
20-May-1990	Potton Wood SSSI		TL250498
19-May-1991	Cockayne Hatley Wood CWS		TL2650

Twayblades are a bit of a favourite of mine persisting in a range of habitats transforming from the "fanged destroyer"look of the early shoots to its more homely two broad leaves and pale green flower spike, some reaching an epic size! Sometimes there are more than two leaves.

They can send up several shoots from the same rhizome forming patches or groups of flowers.
Twayblades are in the same genus as the Bird`s - nest orchid.



 Close to the flowers are little manikin shapes in a "onesie"..the zipper up the front having  a secretion that attracts insects, mainly flies, that collect the pollen and go from flower to flower.

Twayblade flowers close-up photo Richard Revels.

Common Spotted Orchids are also just coming out now and
I have reports of Fly and Burnt orchids in flower.


Do send in records of any orchids you come across, even negative records are of interest.




If you see any pollinators on the flowers please do record them..a photo would be great to help in identification.

Don`t give up on the Bird`s -nest orchid which can be found in flower..or be at least recognisable up the begining of July.

Good luck as always