My carefully laid plans started to unravel just before I launched this site. The "20 Roadside Flora" category, which was something new to me and included because of my realisation - being a cyclist and walker - that there were so many flowers in our roadside verges that were unseen by most travellers. So I made a short list of twenty flora that I thought would be of interest to readers... including a couple of orchids I'd seen.

However, in the past month I've identified fourteen orchids within ten minutes cycle ride of where we are staying in central France - and according to local knowledge as many varieties again may flower in the next month. Because they are so individual, attractive and special (and rare in some cases) I now have a separate category "20 Roadside Orchids" to photograph, research and write-up. It will be a very enjoyable summer.

Bee Orchid Not only one of the most striking British orchids, but one of the most common across England, parts of Wales and Ireland, colonising chalk downs and abandoned quarries alike if the conditions are right. It is the County Flower of Bedfordshire... Burnt Orchid Being a keen cyclist I can recognise the uniquely patterned flowers of the Burnt Orchid because of an unusual association... the red spots on white remind me of the King of the Mountains maillot à pois rouges worn in the Tour de France! Early Purple Orchid Link inactive - article to follow... Early Spider Orchid Link inactive - article to follow... Fly Orchid Of the hundreds of orchids I have seen in the past month only one example has been a Fly Orchid... and like all the local Bee Orchids, has sprung up on a very recently cut roadside verge. An odd name for the Fly Orchid is Testiculus... Fragrant Orchid Abundant in Britain - the Fragrant Orchid is recognised as having three distinct forms which may lead to its reclassification. Noticeably, more so than other local orchids, it attracts numerous insects because of its long, nectar-filled spur... Lady Orchid Whilst scattered widely in this region of France it is generally rare in the UK although locally common in Kent, being found in and at the edges of woodland and down onto steep roadside verges, especially on lime-rich or chalky soils... Lizard Orchid Said to be rare in Britain - except on certain golf courses - I counted more than 50 poking through the long, un-mown grass of a neighbour’s garden in France... far more than I’ve seen along the freshly cut roadside verges, which now appears ominous. Loose-Flowered Orchid I have only knowingly seen and photographed this particular orchid once - when I saw a small clump of about a dozen flowering brilliantly at the beginning of May. A specialist guide book lists them at only two known locations in the region... Military Orchid It is said that positively identifying the Monkey and Military Orchids in the field can be difficult... but once you have see their little faces, bodies, arms and legs close-up, there is no more confusion. Monkey Orchid This distinctive orchid was the second type I clearly recognised because each flower head looked unmistakably like a child’s monkey puppet... from the pair of dark eyes in a friendly, smiling face, to the dangling arms and legs... Pyramidal Orchid This orchid is so common on the chalk downs of the Isle of Wight it has been declared their County Flower. It sets it’s seeds in up to 95% of cases so its continued distribution is far more successful, especially on cliff-tops and coastal golf courses... Red Helleborine Link inactive - article to follow... Toothed Orchid To me, as a beginner at orchid appreciation and identification, this particular variety comes into the A-Level Examination category... I expect a more knowledgeable reader will soon mark me with a “Fail” if I’ve got it wrong!

And a few words of warning if and when you look for orchids or any plants at the roadside... keep safety your priority. All roads, even quiet ones, can be dangerous places and you risk injury to yourself and others if your actions are careless. So as well as looking for flora... listen out for approaching vehicles.

Secondly, don’t pick wild flowers - unless you know better you may pick a rare protected species and damage it’s chance of survival at that location. As is stated in "The Wild Flowers of Britain & Europe"... Take the book to the plant, not the plant to the book. The only thing you need take are photographs... which last forever!