Articles

These pages feature web-adapted versions of several orchid-related articles that have been published in Journal of the Hardy Orchid Society as well as some other items of general interest.

2011 Update on Norfolk Silver-washed Fritillaries

More encounters with the Silver-washed Fritillary in North Norfolk during 2011 are briefly described, including the presence of both male and female butterflies and observation of their characteristic courtship flight. go to article

Silver Washed Fritillary in Norfolk

This article was written for "The Norfolk Nattterjack" the quarterly bulletin of the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists' Society. It is an account of the 2010 influx of Silver-washed Fritillary butterflies into Norfolk and East Anglia plus a few thoughts on the potential for a future re-colonisation. go to article

Monster at the Plant Show

The chance discovery of peloric flowers on a plant exhibited at the 2010 Hardy Orchid Society competition led to this article in the July 2010 issue of Journal of the Hardy Orchid Society. This is an edited version adapted for the web and includes an extra image of the peloric flower. go to article

Mutant Celandines

A couple of years back I came across a variant Lesser Celandine with deep bronze, almost chocolate coloured leaves that were a striking contrast to those of the normal form. Apparently, such “sports” are known to crop up quite frequently in this species due to the occurrence of spontaneous mutations. go to article

Ophrys ×royanensis and other Ophrys insectifera Hybrids

The subject of this article formed the core of a short presentation at the Hardy Orchid Society Wisley meeting in 2007 and was published in the April 2008 edition of Journal of the Hardy Orchid Society. go to article

Suffolk Roadside Nature Reserves

This small report of an exploration of roadside nature reserves in Suffolk was publshed in the July 2006 issue of Journal of the Hardy Orchid Society. As well as highlighting the value of these small reserves for the orchid flora, it includes a record of an unsual variant of the Bee Orchid Ophrys apifera. go to article

Pale Ladies – part 1

First part of a two part account of albino variants of the Lady Orchid that is derived from two published articles from 2005 in Journal of the Hardy Orchid Society and a more recent short talk at the Hardy Orchid Society's Wisley Meeting in 2008. go to article

Pale Ladies – part 2

Second part of an account of albino variants of the Lady Orchid that is derived from two published articles from 2005 in Journal of the Hardy Orchid Society and a more recent short talk at the Hardy Orchid Society's Wisley Meeting in 2008. go to article

Lips and Crystals

Whilst investigating the cellular structure of Lady Orchid albino variants some additional images of the lip structure and the presence of calcium oxalate crystals were obtained. These are shown in this supplementary article. go to article