Marvel at our orchids while you may... and protect them while we can
Islander’s fear after scouring Britain to find all 52 types of flower
An amateur botanist has returned from an astonishing sixmonth quest to see every species of orchid in the British Isles – with fears for their future.
Project manager Jon Dunn, 44, left his Shetland home to scour the country for all 52 different types of the flower growing in Britain.
But he fears many may be on the verge of extinction unless urgent action is taken to protect them.
Jon, who lives in Shetland, said: “There are two main pressures. One of them is changing land use – the effect of agriculture and the massive loss of biodiversity across Britain.
“The other is climate change. Our winters are getting wetter and much milder and some of these orchids need a period of dry cold and they’re not flourishing. The future is rather uncertain.”
Travelling by bus, ferry, foot, car, train and plane, Jon was plagued by midges, almost swept away by a raging river and even raced Storm Katie to get to one flower in a frantic odyssey of discovery.
He was just nine when he saw his first orchid in the West Country and “everything changed forever”.
Jon said: “I remember reading a Biggles book about orchids as a young boy. I loved tales of derring- do and intrepid exploration in faraway lands.
“It always made me want to go out and do something intrepid for myself and the orchids were just the most exotic plants I could possibly conceive of.”
Jon – who has written a book, Orchid Summer, about his adventure – had to time his trips around when the plants were flowering, a process complicated by living on the remote island of Whalsay.
The plants he saw included the fly orchid, which tricks passing digger wasps into “mating” with it by mimicking female pheromones. The wasps then pollinate others.
He said: “There were times when I was away for one or two weeks at a go. It was a case of just taking holidays and sacrificing family holidays for planthunting ones.”
The best botanical moment came on the North Uist Machair: “It was one of those perfect sunny days when the sand is silver and the sea turquoise and all was right in the world.”
And even though his quest is over, the orchid-spotting continues.
Jon said: “I always yearn after the orchid I’ve not yet seen.
“It’s the itch that can never be entirely scratched.”