23rd April 2025

Early Spider Orchid

Wild British orchids are fickle beasts. In order to thrive they need conditions generally only found in undisturbed soil, well away from applications of fertilisers and pesticides. This picture was taken yesterday and shows a flowering Early Spider Orchid (Ophrys sphegodes). This is the third year that this single specimen has appeared in a Staple resident's lawn. Although a large colony of these is to be found at Samphire Hoe near Folkestone and a few at Lydden Down, it is a relatively scarce orchid, making its appearance in a local garden even more surprising.