Not wanting to miss the lady’s slippers (Cypripedium calceolus) like two years ago, we checked out the status on Saturday. And were astonished to find out buds already! So they are in full bloom this week, which makes them record early (or actually, about as early as two years ago when I missed them…). Some years they’ll be blooming as late as midsummer, normally you’d perhaps find them at their peak a week before midsummer.

Tonight seemed like a perfect time to photograph them, it has been raining today and the wind has finally calmed down. So I  got on location and yes indeed many were in bloom already, but also many of them hadn’t gotten further than sprouting some leaves. I think this is the most amazing thing about lady’s slippers this year, there are so incredibly many of them. They were everywhere in this particular location, growing in greater numbers than before in the old spots, but also expanding their range by coming up in new spots.

And then there were the twayblade (Listera ovata). It’s very easy to recognise by its leaves already in this early stage and it was also everywhere – mostly growing on the paths that zigzag this location (the lady’s slippers draw a crowd every summer) so I unfortunately trampled a few before I realised what was going on and had a good look at the ground at every step.

The heath spotted orchids are growing tall, in a few days the first of those will open up.

Considering how generously the calypso orchid was blooming, and now all these other orchids coming up… The question that burns my mind is that is this location particularly strong this year, or have the conditions been such that orchids are early (and plentiful) everywhere in this region?