Green Winged Orchids, Minchinhampton Common, Cotswolds 02/05/2012

Nestling amongst the grass and cowslips on Michinhampton Common , the purple spikes of the wonderful, tiny, Green Winged Orchid are easily mistaken by most people for the more common Early Purple Orchid.

These were in a rather larger colony than the Early Purples seem to be this year but restricted to a smaller area of the Common. Again battered by wind and rain in their exposed position but it was possible to get up close with the camera where you can see the differences in the tiny flowers between the two species.