A quick hour was spent this morning amongst the superb ancient Beech woodlands in Surrey. The abundance of orchids was impressive, especially the crispy Bird's-nest Orchids. However, I was after the Narrow-lipped Helleborines present there and I was again surprised to find a large number. For such a rare orchid, I gave up counting at 30 individuals, which included some impressive specimens.
I last saw Narrow-lipped back on 29th July 2013 in Buckinghamshire, so another search for this species was well overdue.
Also present were many Broad-leaved Helleborines in the open areas, lots of gone-over White Helleborines, and my first, Yellow Bird's-nest, which isn't an orchid, but similar to the family of broomrapes.
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| Narrow-lipped Helleborines |
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| Broad-leaved Helleborines |
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| Yellow Bird's-nest |
