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This is the hybrid between the two commonest orchids in these parts: Dactylorhiza fuschii (Common Spotted Orchid) and Dactylorhiza purpurella (Northern Marsh Orchid). We actually saw several different plants of this orchid and could therefore examine the differences which appear as the hybrid shows more features of one parent or the other. The RHS specimen had the deep purple of D. purpurella and some of the labellum markings of D. fuschii and was quite convincing as a hybrid. The LHS specimen though I identified quickly and wrongly as Dactylorhiza maculata (Heath Spotted-orchid) forgetting that we were in calcareous country a soil in which it doesn't like to grow.
LHS: banks of River Tees, RHS: Bowlees quarry Teesdale 21st June 2005
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Added on 20th October 2005