Orchid summer Possibly our most enigmatic and characterful wildflowers, orchids are often seen as the jewel in a nature reserves’ botanical crown. Here’s how and when to find them. BY STEVE AYLWARD
H
istorically 32 of the UK’s 52 species of orchid have been recorded in Suffolk. Today, only around 22 species can be reliably found and even half of those are quite rare. The decline in orchid species over the last 150 years or so is as much a measure of just how Suffolk has changed
Even common species like early purple orchids are no longer widespread and most notably how old grasslands and meadows have been lost from the agricultural landscape. Some orchid species have always been rare, restricted to niche habitats such as fens and bogs and unsurprisingly, extensive land drainage has had a huge impact on these. But even commonor- garden species like early purple or common spotted orchids are no longer widespread, being mown out of existence 28
Wild Suffolk | Spring / Summer 2020
Bee orchid
by the tractor’s flail or muscled out of verges by more dominant plants that thrive in today’s nutrient-enriched environment. One group of orchids that has fared particularly badly are those associated with chalk grassland and the ploughing of this habitat in west Suffolk largely explains the loss of musk, burnt and early spider orchids in the 19th century or earlier. Grassland, marsh, meadow and wood Of the orchid species found in Suffolk today, the majority are associated with agriculturally unimproved semi-natural habitats such as grassland and marshes or old woodlands. Orchids are a very good measure of habitat continuity over time, reflecting decades if not centuries of little or no change. An old meadow full of green-winged orchids would probably look no different today to those who cut it for hay or grazed it several hundred years ago. Similarly, ancient woods (those known to have existed since at least 1600 AD) are often reservoirs of great botanical interest and home to eight
species of orchid in Suffolk. The exacting requirements of most orchids means that they typically thrive in habitats full of other wildflowers, many of which are equally dependent on traditional land management and often equally rare. Marsh helleborines for example can be found alongside common butterwort, marsh lousewort and
FIVE AMAZING ORCHID FACTS
1 Orchids were one of the
earliest flowering plants evolving 120 million years ago.
2 One species of orchid only
grows in ants’ nests in the canopy of rainforest trees.
3 A single orchid seed pod can
contain up to 4 million seeds.
4 Some species of orchid can live for up to 100 years.
5 Worldwide, there around
28,000 different orchid species. FROG ORCHID ALAMY
