Orchids

 

Orchids 

 

Last week I went out for the day photographing orchids with Richard Revels and Stan Saunders. These pictures are all taken that day. Initially, we went to Barton Hills Nature Reserve. There were Common Spotted , Bee,  Fragrant and Twayblade orchids there, with some interesting rare forms.

 

Close Up Shot of a Bee Orchid

 

Bee Orchid

 

Common Spotted Orchid

 

The following two orchids are rare forms of Common Spotted Orchid.

Plants that are deficient in anthocyanin have very light pink or white flowers (when it is totally lacking), and those with an excess like the Common Spotted var.rhodochila, have very dark flowers, usually purple, that may cause markings to merge

 

 

 

There was plenty of Fragrant Orchids at Barton Hills Nature Reserve. Most were of the common light pink/purple colouration but this example was a pure white variant.

 

This is Richard`s `clamp` for stopping the plant from moving in the wind. It does not damage the plant in any way

 

In the afternoon we went on to the Sharpenhoe Clappers Reserve to photograph the Pyramidal Orchids which are there in their thousands

 

Pyramidal Orchid - Common Colouration

 

Two Pyramidal Orchids

 

Close-Up shot of the flower heads of the previous pairing

 

A light Pink Pyramidal Orchid. You can see by the shape of the flower head how they got their name

 

A pure white Pyramidal Orchid

 

 Twayblade Orchid