Visit to Fulbourn Fen

2nd June 2025 - originally scheduled for 3rd, this visit was moved to 2nd to avoid bad weather forecast, which unfortunately didn't suit everyone. However, over the week, several different groups visited at a time to suit them to see the prolific number of orchids on the Fulbourn Fen Nature Reserve.

In one meadow, a rare and rather small Man Orchid was in flower, protected from people and cattle in a small fenced enclosure. Another meadow had a cluster of Common Spotted Orchid - generally purple flowers with small spots on the leaves. But the main show was in the damp fen, where the number of Marsh Orchid is quite amazing - a volunteer said they have counted several thousand flower spikes! There are two species of Marsh Orchid there, Early Marsh Orchid and Southern Marsh Orchid, which can be hard to distinguish with any degree of precision, although Early tend to have pale flowers and Southern more purple in colour, but they also cross-hybridise! The damp fen also held a few Twayblade Orchid, with its distinctive wide leaves and thin flower spike.

Man Orchid flower spike - on 29th June, and starting to dry-up on 2nd June

Common Spotted Orchid - which comes in various colours, but has small spots on leaves

General view of Marsh Orchids

Early Marsh Orchid (pale) and Southern Marsh Orchid (purple)

Early Marsh Orchid - pale flowers with green 'spikes' in between

Southern Marsh Orchids - generally shades of purple, sometimes blotchy spots on leaves

Twayblade Orchid - small green flowers, tall spike, two broad basal leaves

[photos AndyM, Derek T, Gill S]