Orchis militaris - Military Orchid - (Orchidaceae)

Military Orchid

Orchis militaris (left) on the edge of woodland in the Lot Valley in France

Orchis militaris - Military Orchid

The Military Orchid is now extremely rare in England, and absent from Ireland. It still still occurs in many other northern and central European countries, including Slovenia where we photographed it on a roadside verge in the Triglav National Park. In parts of France it occurs in good numbers and we saw many plants in the Dordogne area.

The common name of this orchid derives from the helmet-shaped hood formed by the upper petals and sepals. This robust-looking plant can grow up to 65 cm in height and favours sunny positions in unimproved meadows and grasslands with an alkaline substrate. Its sad decline in the UK is almost certainly due to the erosion of its habitat by intensive agriculture.

This specimen was photographed in the Lot Valley, southern France, in late May.