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Posts from Forest Garden Wales Blog for 01/13/2020
By [email protected] (Jake Rayson) on Jan 12, 2020 08:30 pm
My notes from fantastic talk ‘Wild Orchids of Wales’ by Sue Parker, Publicity Officer at Hardy Orchid Society
Great talk by Sue Parker at Llechryd & District Gardening Club. She’s part of First Nature who publish a whole range of wildlife guides and books, and she’s Publicity Officer for the Hardy Orchid Society.
She has written a lovely looking book called Wild Orchids of Wales, I have added it to my reading list.
These are my rather random notes from the talk, in no particular order. Lots about where to see particular orchids in Wales.
“Rye grass is a destroyer of wildlife and particularly of wild flowers”
Orchids don’t survive if dug up and moved to a garden. Sit in Abercych totally stripped 😢
Nature reserves - see website for full list
75 National Nature Reserves in Wales
As many local Nature Reserves
>100 Wildlife Trust sites
RSPB sites
Gallery of UK & Ireland wild orchids on website
Gymnodenia cnopsea, Chalk Fragrant Orchid, limestone
Rhinanthus major, Yellow Rattle, top orchid indicator
Indicators alkaline soil: Chalk Milkwort, Bloody Cranesbill, Oregano, Spring Gentian
Indicators acid moorland: Bog Asphodel, Common Butterwort, ?
Anglesey, alkaline, sea shells
Alan Waters country Park, The Warren, Anglesey Fens
Dactylorhiza maculata, Heath Spotted Orchid, likes acid soil
Minera Quarry, turned into nature reserve (turn the world into a nature reserve…)
Vicarage Meadows, Small White Orchid, Brecknock Wildlife Trust
Elan Valley East, Hammerbya palidosa, Bog Orchid
Oxwich Bay in July, Anacamplis pyramidalis, Pyramidical Orchid, great numbers
Kensig National Nature Reserve, nr Port Talbot, Liparis loeslii, Fen Orchid, pioneer orchid
Dyfi National Nature Reserve, Borth (hybrid hotspot)
Spiranthes romanzoffiana, Irish Ladies Tresses, extinct now in England, recorded for 1st time ever in Wales, July 2019. The talk of the orchid town!
Doesn’t occur in Europe: Wales, Ireland & North America
Orchid requires fungi to propagate because seed so small it carries no nutrients, needs symbiotic exchange with fungi
After the talk, I managed to talk with Sue’s partner Pat O’Reilly, author of Fascinated by Fungi. Short but very interesting chat about fungi. There’s a totally purple orchid in France that is only found by a certain species of Pine and Russula fungi. It doesn’t have any chlorophyll, and parasitises the relationship between the pine and the fungi. Fascinating.
