Lush for orchids

 

Please don't get the wrong impression - this photograph was not taken on the Bank Holiday weekend, but on one of the seemingly few fine days of late spring.

It's an unassuming lane called Lynsore Bottom in the sparsely populated middle of east Kent, and as drive down it you can see not only plenty of twayblades but also lady orchids and fly orchids on the verge.

Now I expect to find lady orchids and fly orchids, if at all, on bare banks in the dappled shade of woodland, but this year's wet spring has produced a good showing of both in open downland.

There's a dozen fly orchid spikes at Park Gate Down, where the monkey orchids look healthy, replacing the early purples and twayblades that are going over.

Lady orchids are flourishing in the open grassland of Denge Wood, adding to the beauty of this place with its nightingales and butterflies.

And no description of east Kent's orchids would be complete without a few photos of smiley-face late spider orchids, also doing well in the lushness of the downland sward.