Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2009 | Page 70
life
COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE & FARMING
Darwin described the picture as “better than
The letters were prompted by Darwin’s
any other which has been taken of me”.
fascination with orchids and he asked More
for specimens of marsh helleborine from the
Lymington
Bembridge area. He also asked for specimens
Darwin’s eldest son, William Erasmus, lived in
of bee orchid from Freshwater Gate and
Southampton. Darwin often asked his son to
autumn ladies tresses from downland on the
search out species in the New Forest rivers,
Island. He asked More for his observations on
including cutgrass. In letters he wondered at
insects that pollinated these plants. The flow
the resilience of life, describing the “minute
of letters between these two highly inquiring
crustaceous animal said to live in the brine
minds went on for two years and concluded
pans of Lymington” which “may affirm that
with the publication of ‘On the contrivances by
every part of the world is habitable”.
which British and foreign orchids are fertilised
by insects’ by Darwin in 1862. In the book he
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Bembridge
references More’s help.
In 1860 Darwin began corresponding with the
ia Margaret Cameron. Albumen print, 1868.
botanist A G More, who lived in Bembridge.
Now follow in his footsteps