COUNTRY LIFE
Orchid facts:
Orchids can lay dormant in the
soil for years waiting for conditions
to be right to grow. They each need
their own type of ‘friendly fungus’
in the soil before they can grow.
The root of some orchids, like the
early purple, has been used as a
food and medicine for hundreds
of years.
The ghost orchid was thought to
be extinct until a single plant was
rediscovered in 2010.
ips,
Photo: Early Purple, Orchid Fa mily, and Cowsl
es
Heigh
Mark
by
mily
Prim rose Fa
at just a few sites in the south of England,
this giant among orchids has a spike of
gorgeously twisty, spiral-lipped ‘lizard’ flowers,
and smells strongly of billy goats.
Why not find orchids on your patch as
part of our #30Days Wild challenge? This
June we want you to make time for yourself
in nature by taking up our 30 Days Wild
challenge, which asks you to do something
wild every day in June. From having your
lunch in the wild, to searching for mini
beasts - adding a daily dose of nature to our
lives can make us happier and healthier;
no matter where you live wild places are
all around waiting to be discovered by
you. Find out more at: www.hiwwt.org.
uk/30DaysWild.
Photo: F ly orchid fa mily by Jon Oakley
How to do it:
Search online for where you can visit
wildflower meadows – nature reserves like
Sandown Meadows are good places to start.
Be very careful where you tread - as well
as the obvious flower spikes, there will be
plenty of non-flowering leaf rosettes which
you should avoid trampling.
Tempting as it may be, don’t pick the
flowers. Orchids look their best out in the
wild, and some species are legally protected:
you could be breaking the law.
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife
Trust, working for a better future for
wildlife and wild places in Hampshire
and the Island.
Phone: 01489 774 400
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.hiwwt.org.uk
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife
Trust, Beechcroft House, Vicarage Lane,
Curdridge, Hampshire, SO32 2DP
June/July 2016_MASTER .indd 73
Photo: Bee orchid by Mark Heighes
Join us today and enjoy the benefits of being a member of
the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust:
• Unlimited visits to 57 wildlife reserves in Hampshire and the Isle
of Wight and 2,500 reserves nationwide.
• A welcome pack when you join.
• Wildlife, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust’s magazine,
delivered to you three times a year.
• The chance to take part in local group and community activities,
offering you a variety of opportunities to be involved in. More than
350 walks, talks and events throughout the two counties.
• Join by Direct Debit & receive your FREE full colour Local Wildlife
Reserve Guide.
www.visitilife.com
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