At Ainsdale Dunes today I managed to locate all three varieties of the Early Marsh Orchid, namely var. incarnata (pale pink), var. coccinea (deeper pink), var. pulchella (purple) – I think this is the first time that I have seen all three growing side by side at Ainsdale. There were also some stunning Pyramidal Orchids in amongst the dune slacks. On the way back to the car I found a pair of Small Copper mating.
Early Marsh Orchid var. coccinea Early Marsh Orchid var. incarnata Early Marsh Orchid var. incarnata Early Marsh Orchid var. incarnata Early Marsh Orchid var. pulchella Pyramidal Orchids Pyramidal Orchid female Small Copper Small Coppers pairing Small Coppers pairing male Small Copper
