Here's a wider shot of a southern marsh, with (surprise, surprise) Southern Marsh Orchids. Oh, and cotton grass, naturally. When I spot a bit of bog like that, can't resist getting into the squelchy bits for a closer look.

From Monday on the Purbeck Heaths around Middlebere, Dorset: Southern Marsh Orchids (many) and Heath Spotted Orchid (one):

“This is another common and beautiful Scottish orchid. Its leaves usually lack spots and the flowers are deep purple. It usually flowers between May and July and in common with many other orchids may appear intermittently on particular sites. It often grows in damp places and may be seen on road verges”

Northern Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza purpurella)

I found this example on a walk near Dunvegan. The range of colour in that one flower is unusual. Joy.

Bee Orchid time!
#Orchids #Ophrys #OphrysApifera

The Moccasin Flowers aka Pink Lady's Slipper Orchids (Cypripedium acaule) are in bloom.
They have an interesting way of getting pollinated, more

Say it with me now: mycoheterotroph!!!

I love them.

Striped Coralroot

Three new #orchid species endemic to Costa Rica and Panama discovered https://phys.org/news/2025-06-orchid-species-endemic-costa-rica.html

Three #NewSpecies of Pleurothallis (Orchidaceae) from Costa Rica and Panama, with a note on asexual reproduction by prolification in Pleurothallidinae https://phytokeys.pensoft.net/article/140316/

"The three new #orchids, endemic to the mountains of #CostaRica and western #Panama, are each uniquely adapted and exhibit prolifications in different ways, such as forming long chains or bushy growths."

I'm telling y'all, it's important to just hang out with the plants in the garden and look at them.

I was just spending time with the vanilla vine whose flowers I've been attempting to pollinate, feeling bad that the pollinations seemed to not have stuck. I was looking at the withered flowers wondering if they would fatten up or what? (because some of the flowers fell off, but some withered and stayed on the plant.) when I realized that some of the withered flowers were actually attached to green tubes!

So in pic 1 below, here's what's happening:

It's an inflorescence (I think that's the word) where flowers come in one or two at a time. So the bud at the left and top have not yet opened. On the right behind my hand is a flower that I recently pollinated and that's withering. Most of the yellow-green "sticks" are places where flowers used to be, but have fallen off. Then at the bottom, you see three pods that look like fresh green beans, and I believe these are pods that have gotten pollinated and are growing! The pod in the middle still has a dried flower at the bottom.

Once I realized what I was looking at, I realized there were a bunch of other pods on the plant (see pic 2).

So I looked up when they should be harvested and it turns out they get harvested before they dry on the vine: https://vanillery.com/ripe-green-vanilla-pods/

The pods are so sneaky! They totally look like the rest of the vine, so a dumb predator (like me) wouldn't notice they were there, allowing the pod to mature and release its thousands of tiny seeds. Such a smart plant.

So yay! If I hadn't just been spacing out, standing in the garden, looking at the plant, I might not have ever noticed

#plants #gardening #nature #hawaii #vanilla #orchids @plants

Ragged Robin and Southern Marsh-orchids, Corfe Common

What do you call a group of Fairy Slipper Orchids?
A cluster? A display?
A riot? #bloomscrolling #orchids #outdoorphotography

#NewSpecies!
Pleurothallis matrisilvae
A newly discovered orchid from #costarica!

Treatment: https://treatment.plazi.org/id/C0944F9F-B518-5453-9722-7835ABC5B2ED
Publication: https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.256.140316
#PhytoKeys #PleurothallisMatrisilvae

#FAIRdata
#science #OA #openaccess #biology #ecology #taxonomy #nature #biodiversity #conservation #botany #wildflowers #flowers #wildplants #plants #wildlife #orchidaceae #orchids

I told my husband the bad thing about orchid photos is that they're all beautiful. It's hard to choose a favorite. He said, "pass me the camera. I'll take some bad ones." (For the record, these are by me.)
#bloomscrolling #orchids

I bought a cute little plant light for my orchids, and they are now thanking me.
#Orchids #Flowers

It would be rude to overlook the Greater Butterfly-orchids at Homefield Wood, though.

Occasional time-of-year pilgrimage to the Chiltern Hills for two top-notch nature reserves known for orchids.

First, Homefield Wood, near Marlow. 6 species today including famed but already slightly-fading Military Orchid (not photographed this time) but the stand-outs today for me were Fly Orchids (many, very strong) and Birds-Nest Orchid (1).

The Australian Great Sun Orchid
is bulldozed at home
but overseas it is picked with tweezers
to provide a spectacle for the British aristocracy
thousands of kilometres from its natural habitat.

"Scientists believe up to 60 per cent of orchids face possible extinction, and they're considered the most threatened plant group in Australia."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-23/charles-and-camilla-view-aussie-orchid-at-chelsea-flower-show/105326104
#botany #orchids #Thelymitra #biodiversity #Australia

Now that I have shed last week's heavy cold I can really appreciate this stunning orchid that we bought when we visited Orchid Paradise. Not only are the colours so gorgeous that I can't help looking at it but - it's delightfully scented. The fragrance fills the room. I love a fragrant orchid!
(For anyone wondering, this is Phalaenopsis Bolgheri.)