Subterranean testicle

No, not a new punk band! This is the underground tuber of an orchid of the genus Orchis. It's an unusual view of an orchid and was unearthed inadvertently whilst digging out hawthorn scrub from one of our nature reserves this afternoon. The orchids there are so thick on the ground that it's difficult to avoid disturbing a few. This one was replanted within a few minutes and should come to no harm.

Why 'testicle'? The Ancient Greek word orchis means 'testicle' and gave its name to the underground tubers of this group of orchids. It's difficult to see the connection at this time of year as there is often just one large tuber. However, as it gets closer to the flowering period next spring, a second tuber will have grown alongside this one and the appearance of the two swollen tubers side-by-side led to the name Orchis or testicle. I will not be digging one up next spring to check this!