Native orchid time is back with us – especially if you live in Dorset. Today was our annual pilgrimage to the Purbecks to see the UK’s largest population of our earliest flowering orchid – Ophrys sphagodes or the Early Spider Orchid.

The orchids are easy to find amongst short turf from especially around Dancing Ledge and areas at Durlston.

What a remarkable flower – they are at their peak for the next week but will flower until the end of the month.

I also found the first Anacamptis morio in flower, below(just in flower) – promising more native orchid splendour later in the year.