Lady's Slipper Orchid

A couple of weeks ago Kanyl and I had a few days down in the south of the county at Hawes Water (note not Haweswater).  While we were there we heard about rare Orchids on the adjoining reserve.  We both decided we would make a day trip down to see them when they were in flower.   At the end of last week we learned they were past their best and nearly over.  So today off we went.

We had a very pleasant wander through the reserve and eventually arrived at the clump which were being made obvious.  Wonderful plants. They were common and wide spread until collecting by Victorian gardeners made them almost extinct.  By 1970 there was only one known wild example.  In 1983 Kew took a hand and started to research breeding them.  This proved difficult as to thrive Orchids need a symbiotic fungus.

In the mean time seed was collected from the wild and the first 6 seedlings were planted out near Ingleton.  The first one flowered in 2000 so recolonisation is obviously a slow process.  By 2003 2000 seedlings had been planted out.

Now a joint project between Natural England and the Wildlife Trusts of Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria are trying to bring them back as a part of our natural environment. 

In the extras there what I think is a female spider carrying an egg case I would welcome identification by any Arachnid experts out there.  There is als what I am fairly confident is a male Common Blue Butterfly, but if you know better do tell me.

P.S.  if anybody has been to Kanyl's journal and is wondering about copper pipes, some of the very young plants to hep prevent them being nibbled by slugs and snails.