Epipactis palustris - Marsh Helleborine - (Orchidaceae)

The similarity of this orchid to its more exotic tropical cousins perhaps accounts for the view that this is one of the most beautiful of our wild European orchids. The flower appears in two colour forms as shown in the picture below.

Epipacits palustris - Marsh Helleborine

This picture shows both colour forms of Epipactis palustris - pinkish-brown and creamy-green.

In Wales, where we live, we are very lucky to have some excellent places to see this lovely wildflower. Two of the most notable are Kenfig National Nature Reserve in South Wales, and in North Wales Newborough Warren National Nature Reserve in Anglesey has even greater numbers to enjoy.

Both these nature reserves consist mainly of sand dunes, an apparently arid habitat for a plant with the word marsh in its name. It is in the areas between the sand dunes that these orchids really flourish - so-called dune slacks - because in winter these slacks are submerged in water. They only dry out once summer really gets going thus providing the ideal habitat for Marsh Helleborine.

A pollinator visits a Marsh Helleborine flower

Caught in the act! A pollinator comes to call

In Bulgaria, where we have also photographed Epipactis palustris, we found them in very marshy ground competing with very tall, lush grass. The resulting plants were much taller than those we find in Wales.

Vast numbers of Marsh Helleborines occur in some places in Wales

Where to tread? Marsh Helleborines are crowded together in Newborough Warren at the beginning of July.

The specimens above were photographed at Newborough Warren National Nature Reserve, Anglesey, in July