Orchids bloom in Wildlife Trust beauty spots

Orchids have been in magnificent shape this year all over the country, and putting on an especially good show in the chalky grasslands of Bedfordshire.

One of the UK's most intriguing and beautiful groups of flowering plants, orchids are enjoying particularly good displays this year.

One of the best displays of these exotic-looking flowers this year has been at Houghton Regis Chalk Pit, Bedfordshire, where reserve officers counted over 700 common-spotted, around 140 pyramidal and three bee orchids – an enigmatic species that attracts bees looking to mate due to the bee-like appearance of their flowers.

Click below to watch a clip with Rebecca Pitman from Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust, who run the Chalk Pit nature reserve.

Occurring in a range of habitats from woodland and wetlands to grasslands and coastal dunes, each orchid species has different requirements in order to thrive and flower successfully, so the reasons for such impressive displays are varied.

The diverse flowering times of orchids, which can extend from early spring through to autumn depending on the chemical balance in the soil, also play a major part in accounting for these variations. This summer, pyramidal and common-spotted orchids have generally arrived several weeks late, which gives an indication that the recent weather has provided more suitable conditions as the season has developed.

Orchids can grow in gardens too but are sometimes unidentified due to their unfamiliar appearance and tendency to remain dormant for years at a time. Mid-late summer species to look out for are marsh helleborine and autumn lady’s tresses – a delicate white orchid that grows in coastal areas and chalk grassland.