Rare orchids in Kent

 It was an impulsive trip. I had known where to look for these orchids for quite some time, even knowing the exact locations of some of the colonies. But I never had the time to visit, especially as getting there would prove a little problematic. However, after I heard that they were flowering, I decided to finally go an see the late spider orchids which live in the Kent Downs for myself. 

It was rather long until the journey was over, and even longer so before I found the entrance. An unremarkable-looking hill. I approached it, and what I saw there absolutely stunned me. There was a flood of late spider orchids there. They were all over the place, all over that slope. I looked around briefly- it reminded me a lot of the Essex tongue orchids I had seen last year. Nowhere to be seen anywhere, except one place where there was a massive clump of them. Late spider orchids of all different shapes and sizes, like gold nuggets on the hill, some so unusual looking compared to the others I thought they must be hybrids with perhaps bee orchids (which were nowhere to be seen). 

Late spider orchids are extremely rare in the UK, and what is not helping is that their natural pollinator is not present in the UK. They are long-lived orchids, but reproduce very slowly, and to add insult to the injury are a target for orchid thieves as well. For example, last year 30 late spider orchids were stolen from a single site in Kent. As I searched, making an effort to try and see all of the late spiders present, I saw a lot of pyramidal orchids as well, mixed in with a lot of immacualte chalk fragrant orchids. I stopped to smell a huge spike growing above the late spider colony. 

It smelled absolutely wonderful, but, again, rather faint. It also smelled slightly differently to my local Cambridgeshire chalk fragrants, and completely different to the almost chemical odour of marsh fragrant orchids from last year. 

I didn't leave the reserve until I had obtained photos of every single late spider I could find. When I left, at last, I immediately set off to a nearby forest. Practically on the train here, I had found out that nearby to this colony was a good lady orchid site. Considering the beauty and size of these orchids, I decided it was worth the effort. I soon arrived at the place, and no sooner had I entered I stopped dead in my tracks.

It was a fly orchid. I was not expecting to encounter this here. This is yet another new orchid for me. As I investigated, I found myself wondering why there was so much spiderweb all over it. Guess the flowers fooled the predators. I then continued on, and soon found what I was looking for. Well, almost. Everywhere I looked today, I found lady orchids, but all had gone over. All except one majestic late flowering orchid. 

Even this lady orchid had almost gone over, still clinging on to flowering, as if for me. It was beautiful, a true queen of the forest, but, considering half of the flowers on it had wilted, I thought that had I been late for just a few more days (like I intended to at first), I would have failed to see a flowering lady orchid this year. It was almost as if this one remained for me. 

I lurked in the forest for a while longer, but eventually gave up trying to find a pristine example of a lady orchid and left. Two amazing orchid sites. Strangely, there was no-one there but me considering how good they are.