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Originally Posted by Laura Corin
I have found an orchid in rough grass which was a mown lawn until two years ago. It is pale mauve with mauve spots on the petals. The leaves are green with purple spots. It looks like a common spotted orchid, but i had assumed that our soil was acidic and the online sources all say that it likes chalky land.
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According to Anne and Simon Harrap "Orchids of Britain and Ireland":
"Common spotted orchid favours a very wide range of habitats. It occurs on dry grassland, from heavily grazed downland swards to ranker and scrubbier sites .... [It] is usually found on alkaline or neutral soils but it can grow in slightly acidic conditions..."
But it's not the only Dactylorhiza with spotted leaves.
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We had intended to mow that area in August - should we avoid the orchid, or are they adapted to meadow mowing?
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If it is a Common Spotted, then pollination is efficient, so it would seem sensible to wait till it's set seed.
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