Today, I thought that as the weather forecast was good that I’d take a trip to Noar Hill (SU 742 319) to see if I could find an photograph the Musk Orchid.

Immediately after entering the reserve gate, I was greeted by a marvellous Pyramidal Orchid in full flower and a short walk up the hill revealed what I initially thought was a stand of the Musk Orchids.  However, a closer inspection revealed them to be common Twayblades, but a closer inspection revealed the tiny Musk Orchids growing in amongst the Twayblades.

I given the small size of the Musk Orchid & its greenish yellow colouration, I was expecting to be searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack, but the sheer size of the colony at Noar Hill makes these diminutive orchids relatively easy to find, though you really need to keep to the worn paths to avoid tepping on them.

Not far from the Musk Orchids was a beautiful example of a Bee Orchid, which was an added bonus & later on I found an Albino Fragrant Orchid.

Despite the fact that I was tempted to search the beech hanger for the Greater Butterfly Orchid, I resisted & returned to the car to make a short journey to The Warren (SU 729 284).

The Warren is famous for being one of only three sites in the UK where the Red Helleborine (Cephalanthera rubra) can be found.  Unfortunately time was at a premium and prevented me from exploring the reserve fully so the Red Helleborine eluded me this time, but I did find some nice examples of Greater Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera chlorantha).

Despite not finding the Red Helleborine, a plant that I have wanted to see since first seeing a photograph in my youth, I was very pleased with my outing & headed home for lunch.