"by the side of a busy road in Weymouth. ... spotted by a man from Preston not far from his home... a Bee orchid, or Ophrys apifera... there were about 100 of them along a busy Weymouth road. ... "Please do not publish my address as people might use this as a clue to the whereabouts of these quite rare orchids and unscrupulous people might pick them."
Dorset Environmental Records Centre surveyor Brian Edwards backed efforts to keep the orchid site secret and said: "It is wise not to reveal the site of these bee orchids because there are unscrupulous people who would not hesitate to go round there and dig them up. "The bee orchid can be found along the Dorset coast but it is quite rare in many parts of the county. "... bee orchid, a species which is starting to spread further and further north perhaps because our climate is becoming milder and more suitable for the plant which likes a Mediterranean-style climate." The bee orchid is a perennial, temperate climate species of orchid which is generally found growing on semi-dry turf, on limestone, calcareous dunes or in open areas in woodland. It is a common plant in the Mediterranean and towards the Black Sea but is less common in its northern range. It produces from one to 10 flowers on a spike and blooms through June and July. The flower is furry to the touch and is usually brownish-red with yellow markings." URL : http://www.thisisdorset.net/display.var.2362401.0.roadside_home_for_orchid.php photo : http://images.newsquest.co.uk/image.php?id=1024161&type=full ****************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
