Orchids, and looking after them

[slowworm]

One of our small fields had half a dozen small orchids appear when we first moved in, lurking in one corner and escaping the silagers. I decided to stick to my main conservation mantra which is to do mostly nothing and left them to it, the grass hasn't been cut in 10 years and the hedge has spread into the field. They are now coming into flower again and they've increased to about 50 now, some getting rather tall. I've attached a poor photo of one of them, I think it's and early purple orchid and I'll try and get some better pics later.

The question I have is do I just leave them to it? The hedge that has grown out is blackthorn and it is offering protection to them but I wonder if it will eventually smother them. Should I at least thin it out?

 

[GreyCat]

I would say early purple orchid is correct, spotted leaves are a characteristic.

When I was a bairn, they grew wild and profusely on the road verges (in the North Pennines). The council mowed once a year when they got around to it- never earlier than late summer, but which the plants had set seed. We also had a lot of "Melancholy Thistle" (local name, no idea the official name, apparently quite rare) on the same verges. I cannot remember the sun/shade/dryness conditions though.

GC

 

[Broch]

We have Early Purples in a bit of woodland that is grazed by sheep all year round; I'm not sure they are that predictable to be honest.

 

[Pattree]

I would leave it to get on by itself. It found its own way to you. It’s growing as it should. If the environment changes and doesn’t suit it, you’d find it a full time job to persuade it to stay.

 

[Glow_worm]

They seem to be as happy shaded in woodland as on open grassland.

Orchids are an odd one. The seed can sit around for years, waiting for an exact combination of circimstances to germinate. A bit of ground disturbance is a good thing to bring them out, cows can be useful in this respect as long as they don't eat all those currently growing!

 

[Pattree]

The part of Cheshire where I grew up did not support orchids of any kind except for one small mound in a field near Nantwich. This was an old lime dump from the ICI works.

The whole ecology of the mound was more chalk land than anything for nearly a hundred miles.

If the conditions are right they will find a way.

 

[Glow_worm]

I was spoilt, growing up on chalk hills. Commons, pyramidals, bees, butterflies, twayblades, and even one of the helleborines..

 

[slowworm]

They seem to be as happy shaded in woodland as on open grassland.

Orchids are an odd one. The seed can sit around for years, waiting for an exact combination of circimstances to germinate. A bit of ground disturbance is a good thing to bring them out, cows can be useful in this respect as long as they don't eat all those currently growing!

In many places here they can come and go. I have seen them disappear when you get too much scrub.

Here's a couple more photos, one showing the blackthorn that's swamping them. I think I'll thin the blackthorn for now and see how they go.

The other pic is shows no purple marks on the leaves, I assume it's still an early purple as they seem very variable, another has more purple than green on the leaves.