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14.06.25 Orchids Headlining
Common spotted orchids It is high season for the meadow orchids right now and they are putting on a fine show in the Front Meadow. I have...
anthonyheys2
4 days ago2 min read
3 views
0 comments


25.05.25 Early Meadow Orchids
Early flowering meadow orchid The Front Meadow is doing nicely now despite extremely dry weather in the last two months. The sward is not...
anthonyheys2
May 252 min read
9 views
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16.04.25 Cowslips and (False) Oxlips
Cowslips on Front Meadow Encouraged by the recent sunshine the garden meadows are resplendent with cowslips ( Primula veris ) and...
anthonyheys2
Apr 162 min read
8 views
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27.03.25 Dactylorhiza foliosa
The Madeiran, or "leafy" orchid is endemic to Madeira and does not occur naturally in the U.K. or mainland Europe. However, being very...
anthonyheys2
Mar 272 min read
29 views
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26.02.25 Lizard Orchids
Now is the winter of our thin content made much better by reminiscing over the glorious orchids of last summer. In July we saw the...
anthonyheys2
Feb 262 min read
16 views
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28.01.25 Costa Rica Orchids
We have just returned from a family holiday to Costa Rica having seen lots of amazing wildlife. I am writing about "tropical" orchids...
anthonyheys2
Jan 282 min read
15 views
0 comments


30.11.2024 Orchid seeds germinating
At this time of year I like to germinate and grow orchid seeds in Petri dishes with the help of symbiotic fungi. The “B1” fungus I mainly...
anthonyheys2
Nov 30, 20242 min read
23 views
0 comments


26.10.24 Late Spider Orchids
Last June, Joanne and I went to see Late spider orchids ( Ophrys fuciflora ) near Folkestone. We were privileged to be told the...
anthonyheys2
Oct 26, 20242 min read
27 views
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18.09.24 Green-winged shoots
The beautiful Green-winged orchid ( Anacamptis morio ) is not common nowadays, but nevertheless widely distributed across the southern...
anthonyheys2
Sep 18, 20242 min read
30 views
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13.08.24 Summer Insects
It has been noted widely in the media that there are far fewer insects around this summer than usual, maybe due to ongoing climate change...
anthonyheys2
Aug 13, 20242 min read
15 views
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9.07.24 Bishop’s lace, Bishop’s wort, and Mare’s fart
These are alternative names for three July wildflowers that are out in the Front Meadow currently. Bishop’s lace is more commonly known...
anthonyheys2
Jul 9, 20242 min read
17 views
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26.06.24 Pyramidal Orchids
While the Southern marsh and Common spotted orchids are continuing to flower amongst the Oxeye daisies, I started looking for the small,...
anthonyheys2
Jun 26, 20242 min read
72 views
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11.06.24 Meadow Orchids Thriving
The Front Meadow is looking great this year, and not suffering from the overgrowth of tall vegetation that the Back Meadow is. Common...
anthonyheys2
Jun 11, 20241 min read
28 views
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22.05.24 The Grass is as High as an Elephant’s Eye
The Back Meadow has grown incredibly high this year after all the Winter and Spring rain with mild temperatures. There is not much colour...
anthonyheys2
May 22, 20242 min read
14 views
1 comment


16.04.24 Pleione Finally!
In March 2016 I was contacted by an expert Pleione grower who had made cross-pollinations of his plants and produced seed samples. Could...
anthonyheys2
Apr 16, 20242 min read
35 views
0 comments


21.03.24 The British Giants
The start of our orchid season is still at least a month away, but on the 16th of March I was fortunate to be able to go on an outing to...
anthonyheys2
Mar 21, 20242 min read
20 views
0 comments


29.02.24 Heath Spotted Orchids
It is Leap Year’s day and we are emerging from a mild but very wet winter in West Sussex. Gardening is impossible; the lawn and both...
anthonyheys2
Feb 29, 20242 min read
21 views
0 comments


26.1.24 The Joy of Chalk
Many U.K. hardy orchids love growing in alkaline soils above chalk or limestone. So it follows that every hardy orchid and garden meadow...
anthonyheys2
Jan 26, 20242 min read
30 views
1 comment


22.12.23 The Bug Orchid
Red is a Christmassy colour (robins, Santa, etc) so I am using this as a thin excuse to talk about a red, or at least dark carmine-red,...
anthonyheys2
Dec 22, 20232 min read
32 views
0 comments


27.11.23 Fungi on meadows and lawns
With the weather still mild, and following all the recent relentless rain, an interesting scatter of little fungi has appeared on the...
anthonyheys2
Nov 27, 20231 min read
23 views
0 comments
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