Platanthera chlorantha - Greater Butterfly-orchid

This pallid orchd tends to favour calcareous soils and can be found on chalk grassland and in meadows.

When growing in the open, the Greater Butterfly-orchid is a sturdy-looking plant with a cylindrical flower spike carrying up to forty shiny white scented flowers. The stem can be over half a metre in height. This orchid is present throughout Europe, North Africa and the Near East.

The specimen above was photographed in West Wales in June.

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