Ardnave Orchids

As promised some orchid news ....thanks to Tom we are now more confident at identifying orchids but it was really good to have an expert on hand to spot the Pugsley's Marsh Orchid and various hybrid forms. 

Early Marsh Orchids.

Heath Spotted-orchid and to the right - its white form (var. leucantha or anthocyanin-deficient)

Northern Marsh Orchids.

Northern Marsh Orchid x Heath Spotted-orchids.

Left: Pugsley's Marsh x Heath Spotted and right a pure Pugsley's 

And then there were the Pugsley's hybrids...thanks for theses images and explanations Tom! 

Northern Marsh x Pugsley's. Left: a typical Northern Marsh-orchid in the seep showing clear diamond shaped lips and not too much contrast in the lip markings.
Middle: a potential Northern Marsh X Pugsley's Marsh hybrid. Stronger markings on the lip, respectable lobing and intermediate leaves.
Right: another interesting plant with large (but surprisingly sturdy) strap like leaves. Another candidate but with paler and loopier lip markings than the middle individual, maybe not the best.

Heath Spotted x Pugsley's. Left: a darker and well-marked Heath Spotted-orchid with gone over Pugsley's in the background. Directly in between a colony of clear Heaths and gone over Pugsley's all of these individuals showed some degree of hybridity.
Middle: A striking pale individual showing a nice intermediate lip.
Right: Another nice intermediate individual. Surely a strong candidate for the hybrid Pugsley's Marsh-orchid X Heath Spotted-orchid.

Early Marsh x Pugsley's Left: a typical Early Marsh-orchid for the site (incarnata).
Middle: a tall cylindrical plant with thick stem and intermediate leaves. The lip was strongly marked and strongly lobed- I think a good candidate for Pusgley's X Early Marsh-orchid.
Right: another somewhat intermediate plant with the strongest colour of any of the plants. Dark loops and lobing once again suggest the hybrid.