Twayblade hunt ( Neottia ovata )









They are Orchids, Jim, but not as we know them.
People tend to think of orchids as having purple, red or white flower heads.
The flowers on Twayblade spikes are yellowish green and rather small.

Their name comes from the two leaves from which the flower spike emerges.
They are mainly found in western Wales, the Lake District and western 
Scotland. Our hunt was quite successful as we found two new sites. One was in the grounds of Silverdale Church where my blip was taken and where there are well over 100 plants in flower ! 

If you think this Orchid is a bit obscure you should know about the separate species called Lesser Twayblade. It is just 4 or 5 inches tall and is much less common. We have seen it just twice, once in Wales and once in Scotland.