Photo © Carl Farmer |
Frequent in hay meadows, roadsides and grassy ground. Plant c 25-50 cm tall. Flowers c 1.5-3 cm across. Skye ID: Only likely to be confused with Lesser Butterfly Orchid, which sometimes grows near it. Greater has the pollinia (two narrow yellowish-green strips side by side just beneath the hood) 3-4 mm long, c 1-2 mm apart at their tips but c 4 mm apart at base. Lesser has them parallel and much closer together. Other features: Lowest petal undivided, strap-like, yellowish-green, generally over 10 mm long. Side petals yellowish-white, spreading. Strongly-scented at night and pollinated by noctuid moths. |
