Speaker: Neil Barrett
Wednesday 12th February 2025
As well as organising the Bradford Botany Group summer programme for many years, Neil is well known by Group members as the go-to person for identifying orchids. Neil has long held a passion for wild orchids and today we enjoyed an excellent presentation which included a wonderful array of beautiful photographs.
Neil began by talking about the structure of an orchid flower. There are more orchid species about that I realised - approximately 55 species in the British Isles, 400 in Europe and 27,000 worldwide! While some species are rare, others may be found in their thousands, given the right habitat conditions. Neil showed photos of fields in the North of England ‘thick with orchids’, such as a site on the Sefton coast where Green-winged Orchid (Anacamptis morio) must have numbered in their thousands.
Neil structured the talk by grouping closely related species, giving some nice examples of species in each group. As well as ID tips, we learnt a range of interesting information. Here’s a selection of what we learnt:
Many of the Greek islands have developed their own endemic species of Ophrys and Neil suggested that had Charles Darwin known, these may have provided even more examples for his theory of evolution by natural selection.
Fly Orchids (Ophrys insectifera), which are not too uncommon in the British Isles, play a ‘cruel trick’ on their insect pollinators, the digger wasps. The flower has evolved to mimic the vague shape of an insect, such as a fly or wasp, complete with antennae, wings and two shining ‘eyes’. It appears that only a vague resemblance is required, as the plant emits such a realistic pheromone to that produced by the female wasp, it is enough to convince the male to try to mate with it, whereby the pollen is transferred.
Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera) is increasingly common in Britain, and is one of our most exotic looking species. Here in Britain, it relies entirely on self fertilization. Neil wondered how genetically sound our British population is.
Ghost Orchids (Epipogium aphyllum) don’t photosynthesise, allowing them to grow in deep shade, gaining all their nutrients from underground fungi. Compared to most orchids we see, the flowers look upside-down. Neil has seen hundreds in a pinewood in Germany, but in Britain it is one of our rarest plants. It was thought extinct in Britain, until it was re-discovered in a woodland last summer.
Neil showed a photo of a Bog Orchid (Hammarbya paludosa) he’d seen in flower, using a pound coin for scale - the plant is tiny! This one was only 1.5cm tall but they can grow a little larger, up to 5cm tall. Their main method of reproduction is by bulbils, produced at the leaf edges. The plants are sensitive to disturbance.
Some orchids can be difficult to identify due to hybridisation and back-crossing. Hybrids between species of the same genus (interspecific) and between species in different genera (intergeneric) occur naturally due to cross-pollination by insects. Hybrid plants are often (but not always) larger and more robust than the parents - known as ‘hybrid vigour’.
Some hybrids are easier to identify that others. Hybrids between Common Spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) and Northern Marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza purpurella) are not too difficult to identify, and commonly occur where the parents grow together. Neil showed a photo of a steep slope covered with orchids. On the lower parts of this slope were the deep purple spikes of Northern Marsh-orchid, which prefers damp ground. At the top of the slope was Common Spotted-orchid, and inbetween were the hybrids, of intermediate colour.
Neil ended the talk with a slide entitled ‘The Future’. Threats to orchids include climate change, drought, habitat degradation, tourism and building development. On the positive side, there is increasing public awareness, sympathetic habitat management and reintroduction schemes.
Neil was thanked for giving such an interesting talk. Refreshments were served after the talk, giving members some time to chat.
Text by Susan Simcock