The MKA ecologists headed to Kent for an Orchid Day with the aim to discover over 10 species of British orchid at two sites. The day provided an opportunity for the team to become familiar with the less common species of orchid and also gain a better understanding of the species that inhabit rich calcareous grassland and woodland habitats.
The first site visited was Park Gate Down. This beautiful seven-hectare site situated holds one of the best examples of ancient chalk grassland in the UK. On arrival, the abundance of chalk fragrant orchid Gymnadenia conopsea was noticeable with their lovely whiteish pink flowers giving off a strong sweet fragrance. Within a small area the team found good numbers of pyramidal orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis which have a distinctive rosette of long thin leaves. Further species present in the area were the common spotted orchid Dactylorhiza fuchsia, common twayblade Neottia ovata and early purple orchid Orchis mascula.
Spending time carefully looking for orchids on the ground led to the identification of a range of chalk grassland botanical indicator species such as fairy flax Linum catharticum, common rock rose Helianthemum nummularium, and an MKA favourite, quaking grass Briza media. Common blue, brimstone, red admiral, brown argus, grizzled skipper and small white butterflies were seen flying around the grassland and its margins as well as the beautiful mother shipton moth with its witch like markings on its wings. The main two focuses for this site were the rare monkey orchid Orchis simia and musk orchid Herminium monorchis both of which are only confined to a few sites in England. Whilst there were no musk orchids to be found, the monkey orchids were out in abundance. These proved to be the favourites of the day with their distinctive flowers displaying what look like tiny arms, legs and tails.
The next stop was the much larger 23-hectare site of Yockletts Bank. This diverse SSSI represented a different type of chalk habitat in the form of ancient woodland on a clay-capped chalk bank. This site gave us a chance to experience a number of orchid species mixed in with woodland species such as herb-paris Paris quadrilfolia. The star of the show here was the magnificent lady orchids Orchis purpurea which were scattered in large numbers across the clearings and paths. These were surrounded by some exquisite examples of fly orchid Ophrys insectifera, common twayblade Neottia ovata, greater butterfly orchid Platanthera chlorantha, and white helleborine Cephalanthera damasonium deeper into the woodland understory.
Botanically-focused days such as this enable the team to experience unfamiliar habitats and species leading to a greater understanding of important habitats and the development into more rounded ecologists.
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