The last couple of days have been spent in the pursuit of orchids in the local area; for this species ,the Common Spotted orchid this meant trips to both Reydon Wood and Gunton Meadow both of which are richly populated with these attractive plants. These orchids generally flower between mid may and august but this may be affected by the seasonal weather with the flower spike being a pyramidal shape as the flowers emerge then becoming more cylindrical as they mature. They rely on beetles in the main for pollination although flying insects also visit them but they don't get any nectar from them as they produce none. When the plants produce seed it is thought that the period of time between germination and reaching flowering age may take 5 years. This species is prone to hybridization with others notably the Southern Marsh orchid which can mean that identification can be difficult unless you are expert in these matters (which I am not!). Pictured below are a fresh spike not fully emerged and a mature flower spike to show the difference in shape.
Even in the pure Common Spotted orchids the colouration and marking of the flowers can differ between nearly white with faint marks through to pinkish-purple with dark marks as seen below.
As the name suggests this is a common orchid found all over the country on many different varieties of soil which can colonise new areas quite quickly and can appear in large numbers even on roadside verges sometimes. A super plant to see in flower in the early summer, one to really lift your spirits!
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