This morning I paid a visit to Wink's meadow at Metfield which is a traditionally managed meadow that as far as is known has never been ploughed or had any chemicals or fertilizers applied to it which means it is very rich in wild flowers and contains many rare species that are not found in many other places in the region. Walking to the meadow from where the car was parked I saw several Skylarks rising into the sky singing profusely and on arrival saw that the meadow was totally enclosed by hedges and trees from the surrounding agricultural fields. The meadow itself is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.
I wandered along the edge of the meadow where a few people had walked before and immediately came across a red/purple orchid swaying in the breeze which on closer examination turned out to be a Pyramidal orchid. They are aptly named as the flower spikes form a pyramid shape as the flowers emerge; the flowers are pure in colour and have no markings which makes them easy to identify as the only other orchids with similar flowers are Fragrant orchids but their flower spikes are much more elongated.
Continuing along the path I observed a few Common Spotted orchids as well as an occasional Bee orchid and many other wildflowers. Reaching a damper area I started looking around in earnest and after a little while spotted my target for the day which was a Frog orchid. These orchids are found in very few areas in the eastern counties and are in fact extinct in Norfolk and Essex and this is the only site in Suffolk; they used to be more prolific but the loss of suitable habitat has led to a sharp decline in their numbers. They are not really much to look at being predominately green in colour and their small height makes them hard to spot in the grassland and easy to tread on if you are not careful
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