Orchids of the UK - Autumn Lady's-tresses

Orchids of the UK

Autumn Lady’s-tresses Spiranthes spiralis

Above: Autumn Lady’s-tresses is a slender plant with delicate flowers that spiral around the stem. ©Jaromir Klein/Shutterstock

Isn’t it amazing how time just seems to fly? The older I get, the quicker it seems to go. I really can’t believe that we are into that part of the summer where most of the orchids have flowered, and we will have to wait until next year to see the vast majority of the species that can be found in the UK. In the coming weeks, I’ll continue my series by covering more UK species and whet your appetite for the orchid season next year. However, there is at least one orchid that has yet to flower and will shortly make an appearance, and it’s a pretty special one at that. 

Autumn Lady’s-tresses flowers anytime from August through to September, but it is a fairly rare species that will take some tracking down if you want to see it. I failed to find it last year, but fellow Wild Read contributor and expert botanist Ben Kite has promised me he has information on a reliable site not far from my home. Hopefully this year I’ll see it in all its glory and add its photograph to my library of images.  

Autumn Lady’s-tresses is a rather dainty and beautiful plant that is classed as Near Threatened in the UK, being only locally common in suitable habitats in the south. It is a plant of short grassland on chalk and limestone soils – the downlands of North Hampshire and Wiltshire, local to me, are ideal. It is a small orchid that could easily be overlooked, ranging up to 20cm in height. The slender spike supports a single line of delicate white trumpet-shaped flowers that spiral gently around the stem. The stem of the plant is slightly hairy, and the small basal leaves have usually all but withered away by the time the plant flowers - but look out for a fresh rosette of leaves immediately adjacent. 

This is a rather special orchid that I’m really keen to see and photograph this year. Hopefully Ben’s information will prove solid, and I’ll get to see it in the coming weeks. I’ll be sure to let you know how I get on.

Rob Read. August 2021.