Belongs to: orchid family

Southern marsh orchid Dactylorhiza praetermissa


Best time to see: Jun to mid Jul

Key facts

Delicate flower spikes found in fens and wet meadows, in colours ranging from pale mauve to dark magenta

Dark green unspotted leaves; up to 60 cm tall; flowers with a broad lip, spotted and streaked

Usually found in unimproved meadows which are now few and far between


© Pat Allen

© Tony Gunton