Mark Cocker (Guardian Country Diary 2 June 2026) explains: “these flowers need friends below ground as much as above. Most species have mutualistic relationships with mycorrhizal fungi. Orchid seeds are microscopically small and have none of the food reserves necessary for plant production in the following year. They require a fungus to “infect” and penetrate the outer skin, and then build up inside the plant embryo, which receives nutrients from its lodger.
Slowly, the whole structure expands into a globular root from which the family derives its name (órchis is Greek for “testicle”). This underground store may take several years to acquire sufficient energy for a shoot finally to erupt above ground. That prolonged secret life in the underworld and the corresponding unpredictability of their sudden appearance are all bound into the orchids’ wider reputation for mystery.”
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One reply on “Butterflies and Orchids of the Lot Valley”
Excellent shots