It always a thrill to find a new site for orchids, and this was the case in late December when we were alerted to a new patch of Horned Orchid, Orthoceras strictum. These yellowish green to greenish brown orchids are hard to find amongst the sedges in which they grow but are well worth searching for.

Horned Orchid
They can grow to 80 cm tall and the ones we found in an old gravel pit were mostly tall specimens. Each of the up-to-nine flowers is sheathed by a pointed bract. The erect, lateral sepals give them their common name, and the tri-lobed labellum has a bright yellow patch.
Margaret MacDonald and Alison Watson