Cephalanthera rubra

I can now reveal the mystery of the plant hunt at the end of May this year. I will include the full text of that hunt later on, but for now, a recap.

I run a Kentish Orchids group on Facebook, and for a while during peak season I moderate submissions so that a sensitive site isn't too publicised.

So far, so normal.

One Wednesday evening, I was looking through submissions, and there was something odd. A shot, clearly of an non-Kent orchid, could anyone in the group identify it?

I had a very good idea, one of the rarest, perhaps only behind the legendary Ghost, as an orchid to get the orchid community all stirred up.

I had a few people I could ask, in the end I asked advice from someone I know who knows Eureopean species, and in Europe the Red Helleborine is more common, though not that common either.

He confirmed the shot was of a Cephalanthera rubra, I contacted the member who I will call Bob for this, and asked all about it. The shot was from his brother who saw the plant on a walk, and his brother had given him rough directions where the plant was. Even better, grid references followed, so I spent the hours into the next day scouring Google maps.

THe first doubt came when Bob admitted the shot sent was a stock image, but provided a shot of the plant which had been seen. Although blurred confirmed the ID and the location looked right.

I arranged to drive to West Kent to meet with Bob and he show me where the site was.

I had my doubts even as I drove, but the thought of seeing one in Kent was too hot to ignore. In fact, one has been recorded in Kent before, in 1929 and was verified, I believe, so it was possible, though to me was very early for Helleborines, though my friend said it was possible one could flower in May.

I met Bob and we walked across the fields, beside ditches to the area where the orchid was supposed to be. It didn't feel right, the ground had been recently flooded and was very muddy underfoot, and the only ancinet woodland had soil so rich cow parsley could be seen into the distance. The REd Helleborines likes poor soils, on the edge of woods.

We searched and search, and the very spot the grid reference pointed to was wrong for the species.

Bob believed his brother, and I have no reason to doubt his honesty in what he did, and I attach no blame for the wild goosechase.

Another friend had surveyed the area three years before and found no orchids in any of the monads in the area, it was rather pleasing then to have found four Common Spotted Rosettes there, but no Helleborines.

Bob said the paths had been widened die to the mud and the spike could have been trodden, but I saw no Helleborine spike let along those delicate dark pink flowers.

My friends say it was a scam, whichit might well have been, but I believed Bob, and maybe it will show next year there or somewhere else in the county.

Or not.

But for 36 hours it was exciting to say the least.



Why was I driving 70 miles into deepest, darkest west Kent with just a postcode to guide me, and from there just a grid reference.

And in all honesty, I can't say.

I mean, it really is a secret.

But believe me, if I could, I would, and had I found what I was looking for, you would be the firsts to know about it. Probably.

And in good Douglas Adams tradition, let me remove any tension in this post by revealing that I did not find what I was looking for.

Sounds like a song title, I might call Mr Bono and let him know.

So, I was looking for something, in west Kent.

Kent is big, I mean as far as English counties go, that you can travel 70 miles drive for over 70 minutes and not leave it, is remarkable. But then again, its no Texas, or Wyoming. And to get to West Kent meant braving the madness that is the traffic in and around Maidstone.

So, I gave myself 90 minutes, and once Jools had gone to yoga, I put the bird seeds out, put the bins out and loaded the car, punched in the post code into the sat nav, and I was away.

Not much to tell of the trip; it was the Friday before a three day weekend, traffic was pretty heavy, lots of trucks on the M20, though the contraflow is long gone. Above, it was cloudy, but bright with the promise, despite the forecast, of sunshine later. Maybe even quite soon.

I turn off the motorway, and travel west along dual carriageways, round big roundabouts, still very little traffic about. Which was nice.

And then down ever smaller lanes until I came to the village, I turn down a side street, past some nice houses that overlooked fields, at the end I park up and send a text message to my "contact".

He arrives five minutes later, we bump elbows and swap news. What he, or rather his brother had found, was now gone.

Hmmmm.

But he seemed genuine, and who am I to judge?

We walk back to the end of the street, then over the main road, down a lane lined with cow parsley, which looked quite picturesque.

Through a farmyard, then along poorly marked footpaths round the edge of fields, over two ditches until we came to a path that disappeared into some scrub woodland.

Hmmmm.

I had little experience of what we were looking for, but this didn't feel right. Nor did the mud.

But still, who knows?

We walk on and look on either side, there was nothing like what we were looking for.

I do find some related things, which I guess strengthened the case, but of what was supposed to be there just three days previously, even if there had been some clearance, there should have been some remains, something identifiable.

But there was nothing.

We do some more exploring, and find some drier areas, and was delighted to find many dragonflies, rather damselflies, which I try to snap. We both chase a Small Copper, and are further distracted by other more flighty butterflies.

But after two hours, we give up. There should have been something, but there was nothing.

We walk back to the village, and I finish up by saying I'll be back in a few weeks.

I was hot and footsore.

And thirsty, which isn't good.

I had noticed a greasy spoon just before the motorway, so drove there and stopped for brunch, and two drinks. Not enough for sure, but will help.

I eat the sausage and bacon stick as I drove along the motorway, spraying crumbs all over the car, but felt much better.