Text Box: Text Box: #Species Details
Text Box: #ORCHIDS
Text Box: Bee Orchid
(Ophrys apifera)
Text Box: Wasp Orchid
(Ophrys apifera var trollii)
Text Box: Common Spotted Orchid
Text Box: Many Orchids grow on neutral or calcium rich soil making the neutral blue clay of South Warwickshire ideal for them. Unfortunately, Orchids do not like cultivated land or fertilizer, this destroys the soil biology on which they rely to gain nutrients. Plants like orchids, have a relationship with certain types of fungi and are what is called Micorrhizal or translated, this means ‘Fungus Rooted’. Through a relationship forged millions of years ago between plants fungi and bacteria, the first plants were able  to colonize dry land. Plants still rely on the soils biology to access  nutrients locked away in the earth that are essential for healthy growth, cultivation destroys this biology so we add more and more artificial or organic nutrient to the soil. This causes further damage to the soils natural biology!

Did you know?

 

“Healthy soil is the most biologically diverse habitat on dry land and every land based organism including us, relies on it for our existence. It could be described as our umbilical cord to Mother Earth!”

 

“It is estimated there are more organisms in one shovel of healthy soil than every human that has ever lived!”