Orchids of the UK - Greater Butterfly Orchid
Orchids of the UK
Greater Butterfly Orchid - Platanthera chlorantha
Rob Read
Last week I described an orchid which flowers late in the season, and one that you still have the opportunity to see this year. With most of the other species having now flowered, I’ll begin to take a look at some of the other delights you could have fun tracking down next year, starting with a species I was delighted to see within a few yards of the house this year (thanks to fellow Wild Read contributor Ben Kite who found it!).
Above: The Greater Butterfly Orchid is a rather tall and elegant orchid. ©Rob Read.
The Greater Butterfly Orchid is one of the taller orchid species, growing up to 40cm in height. The stem is rather slender and bears up to 30 loosely clustered, green-tinged white flowers. The spreading sepals and petals somewhat recall the wings of a butterfly, giving the species its common name. At its base, look for a pair of spotless, broad, shiny leaves. This is a species which seeks ancient woodlands, hay meadows and grassland areas on chalk soils. Its flowering period is from May through to July.
The Lesser Butterfly Orchid is a similar species, but separation is straightforward if you look closely at the flowers. Inside the flowers, the two pollen-bearing structures are positioned parallel to each other and close together. Habitat can also be a good clue as to which species you are looking at as Lesser Butterfly Orchid prefers damper conditions in areas such as heathland, moorland and bogs.
Although it is accepted that the distribution of Greater Butterfly Orchid is widespread (more common in the south of the UK) the species is quite tricky to track down and is listed as Near Threatened. I would suggest you do some research on reliable sites before looking for this plant, but it is worth the effort as it is rather splendid. I shall certainly look out for it again next year in the woodland edge close to my home.
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