Up close and personal with the Ladys 🙂 Wild Orchids UK & Ireland

Autumn Lady's-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis) in Bournemouth 17.08.24. A 20-spike cluster in beautiful condition 😊

It might not seem like much to most, but today I spotted my first comma butterfly caterpillar in years! There were four of them on the nettles I planted in my garden, and they’re just a few of the hundreds of different invertebrates I've seen here this year! 😍🌱🦋

I’ve got to post early today as I’m away at a music festival with the ‘Orkids’ this weekend, with little phone reception. Here are some #PollinatorPals for #WildflowerHour that I took over the last couple of months wildflowerhour

For tonight's #wildflowerhour theme #pollinatorpals I present a quartet of images of bumblebees visiting Autumn Lady's-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis). You can see the pollinia from the orchids on the bee's tongue in some of the pics. Bournemouth,18.08.24

Well, not only is our Rhodes Orchid Tour the original & been running for 10+ years, it is also great fun, as this photo clearly demonstrates 🙃

Well the season is drawing to a close, so time to go through photos from 2024. Here is one of my favourites, a Burnet Moth on a Small White Orchid in Scotland, June.

Pretty maids all in a row - Autumn Lady's-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis) in a Bournemouth cemetery 21.08.24.

Fen raft spider from a couple of years ago.

2024 photos, 2: This year I was determined to visit all the Late Spider Orchid sites in Kent, which I finally achieved. Some hold more than others, but at one site good numbers, and variety, including this multicoloured beauty. The form and colour on this species is amazing!

Autumn squill, Scilla autumnalis. Start Point, Devon 25-8-24

Seems like a bumper year for Pennyroyal Mentha pulegium in the New Forest, Hampshire. I found swathes of flowering plants across Cadnam Green today. #wildflowerhour BSBI: Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland

Pure porn ... Six-spot Burnets mating on a bed of Autumn lady's-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis) & some pollinator action ...at last! 😃 Dawlish Warren, 26-8-24 Wild Orchids UK & Ireland

A visit to my favourite Bournemouth Autumn Lady's-tresses colony this evening. The big clusters are slower to get going, and looking excellent right now. Couldn't beat the 2023 record of 49 spikes, so had to make do with these three - 20, 28 and 34 spikes respectively 😊

2024 favourite photos/moments 4: With so many hybrid Frog x Common Spotted hybrids being found in Wiltshire, I had to go, since this is one of my favourite things of all. In all, we had twelve "phwoooarr" moments 😍 and this is a standout among them.

Ground-pine Ajuga chamaedrys in Hampshire today. Three very small plants at our only known site. BSBI: Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland

Just in case I’ve not posted enough of WA’s amazing Clown Orchids (Caladenia roei) recently, here’s another lovely clump that is flowering currently #orchids #biodiversity #ozflora #ozplants #wildoz

NEW BLOG POST: a trip to south west Turkey. A gallery of photos from our trip to Turkey back in March. Hamza Nobes ukirishorchids.blogspot.com/2024/08/a-trip…