Dactylorhiza purpurella

 A difficult Orchid to clearly identify, but this  one came as quite a surprise in June 2015 on Brayton Barff, North Yorkshire. The flowering stalks are quite compact and look quite crowded, they usually have 10 – 40 flowers but occasionally that number can be as many as 80.

The distinctive flowers are violet-purple with a paler throat, opening from mid May to late July, and are about 1.5–2.0 cm in diameter. The lip (the lower petal) is complex in shape and marked with deeper purple lines and spots. The lateral sepals are held at a 45° angle. The upper sepal and the petals form a loose hood over the column, which contains the sexual organs. The thick, downwards pointing spur is shorter than the purplish-green ovary. Northern marsh orchids are commonly pollinated by bees, including bumblebees. Let’s hope we find and see more of them next Spring.