The Cairngorms Up-Close: Gallery
[CAIRNGORMS UP-CLOSE] [DEEPGREEN.EARTH]
Group: GRASSLAND ORCHIDS
Heath spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata)
Where and when encountered: Craigellachie NNR on 27 June 2022
About: Heath spotted-orchid is absent from large parts of central and eastern England but otherwise widely distributed in Great Britain. The plant generally prefers acidic soils and can be found growing on moorland, on heathland, in grassland, and in flushes and bogs.
Northern marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza purpurella)
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 8 June 2025
About: Northern marsh orchids are a perennial herb with a preference for neutral soils in a wide range of drier and wetter habitats. Almost all records for the species in Great Britain come from Wales, northern England, and Scotland.
Heath fragrant-orchid (Gymnadenia borealis)
Where and when encountered: Rothiemurchus Estate on 22 June 2025
About: Heath fragrant-orchid is a plant of mildly acidic to mildly base-rich soils, including those of grasslands, heathlands, and moorlands. Most records of the plant in Great Britain come from the Scottish Highlands.
Small-white orchid (Pachytomella parallela)
Where and when encountered: Kingussie on 7 July 2025
About: The small-white orchid is a plant of hill pastures, mountain grasslands, and certain other habitats with infertile soils. This is an orchid of major conservation concern, because the majority of recorded populations have been lost and surviving remnants (mostly in the Scottish Highlands) are small.
Lesser butterfly-orchid (Platanthera bifolia)
Where and when encountered: Boat of Garten on 22 June 2025
About: Lesser butterfly-orchid can grow in a broad range of habitats but is considered to be one of the fastest-declining species of plant in Great Britain. A major cause of this decline is that the mycorrhizal fungus needed by the plant for germination and seedling development is negatively impacted by fertilizers and fungicides. In current times, the orchid is faring best in the Scottish Highlands.
Greater butterfly-orchid (Platanthera chlorantha)
Where and when encountered: Kingussie on 29 June 2025
About: Greater butterfly-orchids may be encountered in a wide range of habitats, including downland, pastures, meadows, scrub, and deciduous woodland. This orchid can still be found in many parts of Great Britain but is declining across the country, especially in areas with more significant agricultural intensification.
Selected galleries
[ALL-TIME HIGHLIGHTS] [ARCTIC ALPINE PLANTS] [BUTTERFLIES] [COLOURFUL MOTHS] [DRAGONFLIES] [FORBS] [GALLS] [GRASSLAND ORCHIDS] [HOVERFLIES] [INSECTS OF EXPOSED RIVER SEDIMENT] [LONGHORN BEETLES] [PINE-ASSOCIATED FUNGI] [PLANT BUGS] [SHIELDBUGS] [UNCOMMON PINEWOOD HERBS] [WOODY PLANTS]