I write this article mid-lockdown, an unprecedented time in recent history. During this period, whilst we are confined indoors, my mind uncontrollably wanders to the wild, inherently outside places that are home to our iconic wildlife such as orchids. Memories of these and hopes of seeing them again keep me in awe. This article is all about the orchids of the Anglesey Fens; the region on the east side of the island between Benllech and Llangefni. I will be featuring species which are conserved through our work on the fens and in the wider landscape through the Living Landscape project.

It is now spring, thank goodness(!), and with that, the longer days and increased daylight is giving our wildflowers the boost they need to grow like mad. Amongst the marshes, grasslands and woodlands, the orchid spikes are appearing.

The first to emerge is the Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula), with characteristic spotted, green leaves and a tall flower spike with rich purple flowers from early April onwards. This is an orchid of shaded verges and woodlands and can be found fairly commonly in some parts of the Anglesey Fens.

An Anglesey Fens specialty is the next to flower, the Green-winged Orchid (Orchis morio). This can be found on our Cors Goch reserve and is found in very few other locations on the island nowadays.

From May onwards we start to see a flurry of emerging species including the ones that like to get their feet wet. This is where the fens come into their own with species including Northern Marsh (Dactylorhiza purpurella), Early Marsh (Dactylorhiza incarnata) and the rare Narrow-leaved Marsh Orchids (Dactylorhiza traunsteinerioides) all flowering. The small-statured but alluring Early March Orchid appears in several varieties ranging from a deep purple to pale pink, sometimes all three can be found flowering next to each other, such as at Waun Eurad fen, near Llanbedrgoch.

Out on ‘unimproved’ verges and in the meadows there can be large swathes of pastel-suffused Common Spotted (Dactylorhiza fuchsia) and Heath Spotted Orchids (Dactylorhiza maculata), although watch out for hybrids as these two frequently produce offspring that show features of both. The less common Heath Spotted Orchid flower is generally a whitish colour with little dots all over.

Two generally scarce orchids can be found on roadside verges in the area, the cup-leaved Common Twayblade (Neottia ovata) and the peculiar Frog Orchid (Dactylorhiza viridis). The former can be found in drifts where established, but the Frog Orchid was represented by only a single flowering spike in 2019 and was protected from unscrupulous mowing by a mesh cage placed around it, the lengths that we have to go to! Although called the Frog Orchid, you would be hard pushed to see why it is called this. The flowers supposedly resemble these amphibians…

A fen specialty, and one that is quite tricky to find, is the Fly Orchid (Orchis insectifera). This species favours domed hummocks within alkaline fen flushes. Try searching the fens of Cors Bodeilio and Cors Erddreiniog to have a chance of seeing one of the rarest orchids in Wales. The form that grows in the fens here is a strange yellow colour which only makes this plant all the more motivating to find.

The final species, the one that brings the curtain down on a great season, is the Autumn Lady’s-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis). This flower is as dainty as the name suggests with spiraling white blooms up the stem in August. It can be a hard character to spot in the limestone grasslands it favours, as it often only grows up to 5-10cm tall. Try searching around short grass at our Cors Goch reserve near Benllech.

When all is said and done, it is possible to find up to 17 orchid species in the area although you would really have to be looking hard to find the rare Lesser Butterfly Orchid which is only known in recent years from one verge! This a very high number for one area and demonstrates how special the fens are. Once this lockdown is over, think about exploring the marshes, woodlands and grasslands of the fens region and see what you can find. If you find some please let Cofnod, the local records centre, know what you have seen so we can build up a better picture of where our orchids live.