Rare Orchid Found in England

An orchid which has been declining more and more in the past 100 years has now been recorded on a nature reserve in Bodmin for the first time.

The orchid, name the great butterfly orchid, was found by Ken Preston-Mafham whilst he was walking around Bodmin Beacon.

The orchid is a greenish white colour and it gives off the scent of vanilla. The scent becomes stronger at night to attract moths which are flying nearby. Cornwall Council stated the discovery made by Mr Mafham was really rewarding news and ensured the flower could breed.

In the past few years several measures and projects have been carried out on the beacon by Bodmin Town and Cornwall Council, who jointly manage the site. Generally the projects have been about protecting wildlife and introducing new and rare species of flowers to the beacon.

Coralie Barrow from Cornwall Council stated a lot of orchids in Britain are threatened and the key to making sure they survive is good land management. She said the fact greater butterfly orchids have been found on the Beacon was testament to this.

Some other rare species on the beacon include snipe and climbing corydalis.

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