Orchid Study Group Field Visit to Anglesey, June 2011 - by Sue Parker

Fly Orchid (Ophrys insectifera) at Cors Bodeilio NNR in Anglesey, North Wales

The June 18th and 19th weekend visit to the Anglesey Fens and Newborough Warren National Nature Reserves (NNRs) was a daunting prospect for those who embarked on the long drive north on Friday 17th through torrential rain and gales. Thankfully the rain ceased for both Saturday and Sunday, although we continued with the theme of howling gales and perishing cold that has characterised the spring and summer of 2011 so far. The other theme for 2011, however, was to have more of an impact on our visit than either of the other two. Drought, which has not been as severe in Wales as in other parts of the UK, has still had a dramatic effect on the plants for which the three reserves we visited are so famous, and the development of the Marsh Helleborines, Epipactis palustris, at Newborough Warren, in particular, has been seriously retarded.

The primary focus of the visit to Cors Bodeilio and Cors Erddreiniog was to see the Narrow-leaved Marsh-orchid, Dactylorhiza traunsteineroides, and the Fly Orchid, Ophrys insectifera. Newborough Warren, which we visited on our second day, is home to vast numbers of wild orchids, including dense carpets of Marsh Helleborines, Epipactis palustris.

Saturday 18th June was cloudy and very windy; but, as the day progressed, the sun came out making the wind much more bearable for our visits. We started at Cors Bodeilio and, accompanied by Senior Reserve Manager Les Colley, we walked along the boardwalk beside which we saw Common Spotted-orchid, Dactylorhiza fuchsii, Common Twayblade, Neottia ovata, and some Marsh Helleborines, Epipactis palustris, the latter just coming into flower. There was also a single specimen of Bee Orchid, Ophrys apifera, which has put in an appearance at this NNR for the first time in the 30-odd years that Les has been looking after it. We soon left the boardwalk and began walking through marshy ground, where we found lots of excellent examples of Early Marsh-orchid, Dactylorhiza incarnata, and Northern Marsh-orchid, Dactylorhiza purpurella. As we continued, the ground became more boggy with tussocks to negotiate rather than step on, as they were home to the Fly Orchids, Ophrys insectifera. For many the site of these rare flowers was the highlight of the visit, and there were long pauses whilst members of the group, suddenly oblivious of the need to kneel down in the boggy conditions, took numerous photographs.

Our walk then took us into the part of the reserve which is home to the Narrow-leaved Marsh-Orchid, and although we were rather late in the year for this species (Les explained that where they occur they are normally the first of the marsh orchids to flower) we managed to find several reasonable examples, and certainly sufficient to enable us to see the key characteristics that separate this species from other, often similar-looking marsh orchids. The Narrow-leaved Marsh-orchid has a somewhat 'one-sided' infloresence which carries up to 12 flowers that are markedly larger than those found on other marsh orchids. It also has two narrow leaves at the base of the stem with a third which appears part-way up the stem.

Narrow-leaved Marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza traunsteineroides) at Cors Bodeilio NNR

The Narrow-leaved Marsh-orchid was growing in a dense area of tall vegetation which would have made it almost impossible to find them without guidance, and the same could be said for other species that we were shown during our walk at Cors Bodeilio. For instance, the search for the elusive Narrow-leaved Marsh-orchid yielded a Lesser Whitethroat chick which one member of the group managed to photograph before beating a hasty retreat in order to leave it in peace.

Lesser Whitethroat chick photographed at Cors Bodeilio

We also found many tiny toads which were so small it was evident that they had only very recently left the water to seek homes on land.

A baby toad - one of the numerous species that depend on our NNRs in Wales for their survival

Our afternoon visit to Cors Erddreiniog (the largest of the Anglesey Fen NNRs) was no less illuminating and continued to illustrate why these very special habitats are of such international importance in conservation terms.

After being greeted by the herd of ponies which are kept at the reserve in order to graze and so keep rank vegetation at bay, we walked along the eastern edge of the reserve accompanied by the singing of a Bullfinch in the Hazel hedge that runs along the boundary; we also saw Lapwings flying overhead. Both these species are in decline in the UK and so it is all the more important that we provide safe havens for them, and Cors Erddreiniog is one of the few places where Lapwings now breed in Wales.

After some nifty bog-hopping the group arrived at the scene of one of the most suprising finds of the weekend - Lesser Butterfly-orchids, Platanthera bifolia, growing on tussocks in extremely wet ground. For those of us who look for these orchids exclusively in lightly wooded areas or meadows on limestone substrates, this was the best demonstration of how the alkaline flushes of water that filter through the limestone rocks surrounding the fen NNRs in Anglesey turn this acid habitat into a suitable place for lime-loving plants to not just survive but thrive! Once we had taken the obligatory pictures of this wonder, we soon realised that we were surrounded by no less than six other orchid species all occuring within a metre of the Lesser Butterfly-orchid. Marsh Helleborine (Epipactis palustris), Marsh Fragrant-orchid (Gymnadenia densiflora), Northern Marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza purpurella), Common Twayblade (Neottia ovata), Fly Orchid (Ophrys insectifera) and Early Marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata) were all vying for our attention!

As our walk at this wonderful nature reserve continued, Les pointed out many other species including several rare damselflies, numerous butterflies and moths as well as two Kestrel chicks which had been reared in a large nest box and were almost ready to fly the nest.

Sunday 19th June was brighter although we were still plagued by very strong and cold winds that made the day feel even colder than its predecessor. Wrapped in several layers of clothing we set off, undaunted, on our walk around Newborough Warren National Nature Reserve accompanied by the Senior Reserve Manager, Graham Williams.

The group accompanied by Graham Williams at Newborough Warren NNR

After an interesting introduction to the history and evolution of the dune system at Newborough we set off along the path leading to the main gated entrance to the reserve. Along the way we passed numerous Early Marsh-orchids and several Northern Marsh-orchids. Once in the reserve itself we again met ponies whose job it is, along with two types of cattle, to graze the site and keep the sward at an ideal level for the special plants that grow there. Graham explained to us the measures that are taken to ensure that the animals are kept in good health not just in summer droughts but also in the winter when food is in short supply.

Ponies and Viper's Bugloss, Echium vulgare, at Newborough Warren NNR

Drought, along with cold and strong winds, have had a profound effect on the growth of many of the orchids at Newborough Warren this year, and research has shown that the water table in the dune slacks (flat areas in between the dunes which become submerged in water during winter) has dropped considerably during the abnormally dry spring and early summer. As a result, many of the Marsh Helleborines will not flower in early Jul,y although we saw enough developing flowers to be convinced that there will be the spectacular carpets of this orchid for which Newborough Warren is best known amongst orchid-lovers.

A carpet of Marsh Helleborines at Newborough Warren NNR in late June

Apart from a healthy population of rabbits at Newborough Warren, which are vital for both grazing and maintaining the structure of the dune system, many other mammals, birds and insects make their home in this special habitat. During our walk we also saw large, colourful patches of Dune Pansies, Viola tricolor, along with plants of Round-leaved Wintergreen, Pyrola rotundifolia, Bacon-and-eggs, Lotus corniculata, and the delightful Maiden Pink, Dianthus deltoides. All the while we were accompanied by the unparalelled beauty of the song of Skylarks, for which Newborough Warren provides the perfect nesting habitat.

Northern Marsh-orchids at Newborough Warren

Northern Marsh-orchids, Dactylorhiza purpurella, occur in large numbers at Newborough Warren, and because the Southern Marsh-orchid, Dactylorhiza praetermissa, is not present there it makes this NNR the ideal place to get to grips with the identification of this less-common marsh orchid... provided you are knowledgeable enough to separate them out from the darker-coloured subspecies of the Early Marsh-orchid, of course! Northern Marsh-orchid tends (and I used this term advisedly!) to be rather shorter and more robust planst than the Southern Marsh-orchids, but the real difference is in the lip of the flower of the Northern Marsh-orchid which is diamond-shaped and does not fold back in the way that the lip of Southern Marsh-orchid does.

To add to the confusion, the elusive Western (or Broad-leaved) Marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza majalis var. cambrensis) also grows in part of this reserve, although it was far too late for us to see this plant in flower (which may have been a blessing for some of us whose brains were already completely overloaded by this stage of the visit!).

Our visit to this wonderful coastal nature reserve was concluded in bright, sunny conditions. Although the gale was unrelenting to the very last, we all thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Anglesey. Our thanks go to Les Colley, Graham Williams and Tim Jones of CCW without whose assistance our visit would have been much the poorer.

General Information about Anglesey

Anglesey (Ynys Mon, in Welsh) is situated off the north-west coast of Wales, and is separated from the mainland by the Menai Strait. During the middle ages, Anglesey was also known as Mam Cymru (Mother of Wales) because of the fertility of the land there that produced much of the food consumed throughout the northern part of Wales.

The entire island of Anglesey is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and is the largest one in Wales.  Anybody who has spent time there, and visited some of the exceptionally beautiful coastal areas of Anglesey, will easily understand the reason for this designation but, as you will see from the nature reserves throughout Anglesey, there is a lot more than just the lovely coastline to enjoy during a visit to the island.

Information about the Anglesey Fens NNRs

After East Anglia, Wales has the second largest expanse of fens to be found in the UK, and within this area there are three National Nature Reserves (NNRs): Cors Erddreiniog (the largest of the three), Cors Bodeilio and Cors Goch. These NNRs protect a rare type of wetland fed by alkaline water that drains into the fens from the porous limestone rocks that surround them.  When wetland habitats are on peaty soil over sandstone, granite or other chalk-deficient substrates they are normally acidic in their composition. It is the alkaline water draining into these wetlands in Anglesey that creates the unique conditions leading to the unusual combination of plants to be found there – many of which can only exist in this type of habitat because of the levels of alkalinity. These plants in turn support many species of insects, in particular, which are becoming increasingly rare throughout the UK.

General Information about Newborough Warren NNR

The sand dunes at Newborough have an outstanding flora and, during the winter, the dune slacks become partially submerged after prolonged rainfall, creating the ideal habitat for the Marsh Helleborine (Epipactis palustris) which carpets the ground in early July when the rainwater has dried up. Other orchid species present include the Northern Marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza purpurella) and Early Marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata). In late June and early July, the Dune Helleborine (Epipactis dunensis) grows in willow carr in the dunes with particularly fine specimens appearing in the forest close to the car park accessed through the village of Newborough. Both in the open dunes and the forest, an increasing population of Round-leaved Wintergreen (Pyrola rotundifolia) can be found, along with interesting lichens and mosses. The reserve is home to many birds, butterflies and other insects. Later in the summer and autumn the Kingdom of Fungi takes over - Dune waxcaps grow in the sand, and many Russulas and other fungi species appear in the forest.

Wales Wild Orchid Gallery...