EARLY PURPLE ORCHID

Orchis mascula

I was delighted to see this, otherwise my blip would have been of a wet cabbage leaf in the back yard.

Here's some more information: "There is a dizzying array of local names for the Early Purple Orchid. These include Adder's meat, Bloody butchers, Blue butches, Red butchers, Goosey ganders, Kecklegs, Kettle cases and Kite's legs. The grosser name that Shakespeare refers to may have been one of the Cuckoo names or Priest's Pintel (cf. the French name testicule de prêtre)." Fancy that!


Thanks to all for lovely comments, hearts and stars on my milestone blip yesterday. I've got a lot of catching up to do with everyone. xx