"A rare orchid [name ?] almost wiped out by farmers ploughing their fields has appeared in a town centre. Hundreds of the delicate purple-coloured orchids are thriving on a playing field.
The protected flower, which can take four years to grow before blooming and then only for three weeks, was once widespread across the UK. It went into decline in the 1950s as farming methods intensified. The latest sighting in Laindon, Essex, was spotted by a member of Basildon's Natural History Society who contacted the council. ... Council staff will now leave the grass long where the flowers are growing until summer to let them re-seed." URL : http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/06/07/vanishing-orchid-in-town-park-89520-20598227/ ***************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
