WildCare Articles

Farmland Orchids

There are in excess of fifty species of wild orchid native to the British Isles. Sadly many of these are now rare or have a very restricted distribution but there are several species that can be found in habitats that occur on wildlife-friendly farms. Where orchids do occur, many people are unaware of them because they are often quite small and can blend in remarkably well with their surroundings.

Orchid seeds are tiny and reputedly can even travel in rainclouds; it is perhaps this that allows some species to be good colonisers and, given the right environment, they can appear in suitable habitats where they have not previously been seen. Bee Orchids for example are renowned for their colonisation of power station and factory sites, where suitable soil conditions exist.

It is a feature of orchids that even rare species can appear in unexpected places; several of the sites for the rare Lizard Orchid for example are in the ‘rough’ of some very well-known golf courses.

Helping Orchids on Farms
Many species of wild British orchid are declining and need help to survive. They will only be found on ground that is left undisturbed and they will not survive ploughing. Orchids are poor competitors and will not survive where the growth of other vegetation is too vigorous. Recent work shows that grazing is essential to most species of grassland orchids as they become overwhelmed by other plants if these are left unchecked.

Orchids are very sensitive to both herbicides and fertilisers and will not survive intentional or inadvertent chemical treatment. ‘Natural fertiliser’ dropped by grazing livestock will not cause a problem but muck-spreading or applications of artificial fertiliser are likely to result in orchids dying out.

Where they are happy orchids can nevertheless be very persistent and occur in significant numbers.

Should you discover orchids on your farm that are in the way of your normal farming activity, please notify WildCare and we will do our best to arrange for them to be professionally transplanted to a safe location.

Recording Orchid Sightings
We are keen to improve our records of orchids that occur on WildCare farms and the following pages provide some brief information on the species of orchids most likely to be found. Please be sure to include in your Farm Wildlife Diary records of any orchids seen.

The ‘baker’s dozen’ of selected orchids on the following pages are listed in approximate flowering order: the first coming into flower in early April and the last still being found in flower in September.

If you find an orchid you cannot identify, please contact your WildCare assessor, the WildCare office or e-mail a photograph to wildcare@abagri.com and we will happily identify it for you.

Download the full Farmland Orchids paper

18/03/2009