My orchids
Local lawn care expert and former head greenkeeper, Ian Stephens, loves grass and his work creating healthy, vibrant lawns at homes across Notts and Lincs. But Ian has long seen ‘beyond the green…
Local lawn care expert and former head greenkeeper, Ian Stephens, loves grass and his work creating healthy, vibrant lawns at homes across Notts and Lincs. But Ian has long seen ‘beyond the green…
These marvellous wildflower meadows are a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
The Early purple orchid is one of the first orchids to pop up in spring. Look for its pinkish-purple flowers from April, when bluebells still carpet our woodland floors. Its leaves are dark green…
New audit reveals that a fantastic 101 new wildflower meadows have been created or restored since the Coronation Meadows project began a decade ago.
This is probably the most widespread and commonest of the marsh orchids.
A short, but pretty plant of unimproved grasslands, the Green-winged orchid gets its name from the green veins in the 'hood' of its flowers. Look for it in May and June.
The petals of the rare Lizard orchid's flowers form the head, legs and long tail of a lizard. They are greenish, with light pink spots and stripes, and smell strongly of goats! Spot this tall…
The bee orchid is a sneaky mimic - the flower’s velvety lip looks like a female bee. Males fly in to try to mate with it and end up pollinating the flower. Sadly, the right bee species doesn’t…
This unassuming orchid is easily overlooked. It is found patchily across the UK, but has been declining for decades.
The pyramidal orchid lives up to its name - look for a bright pinky-purple, densely packed pyramid of flowers atop a green stem. It likes chalk grassland, sand dunes, roadside verges and quarries…
As darkness descends on the landscape, deadly hunters are taking to the skies, slipping from their roosts and wheeling silently above hedgerows and through woodland – the owls are on the wing.
Meadow buttercup is a tall and stately buttercup, with buttery-yellow flowers that pepper meadows, pastures, gardens and parks with little drops of sunshine.