To think that the west coast of Guernsey used to have large swathes of orchids bursting into flower in the unimproved damp soil makes me wish I could step back a hundred years. It must have been a paradise. In today’s busy island it’s important for me to look out the unspoiled pockets and enjoy our natural heritage. Les Vicheris is inland from Rocquaine, just by Le Tricoteur. There is a sign up on the coast that shows the way.
First out of the blocks in these fields are the Loose-flowered Orchids, Anacamptis laxiflora: tall dark spikes that support intensely purple flowers with pale centres. The Early purple Orchid comes into flower at the beginning of April, but is not found at Les Vicheris. McClintock tell us that it is only found in Guernsey and Jersey in the British Isles, ‘and there is far more of it in Guernsey. Definitely a plant to cherish and at its best now.
I only had time to go round the first field. I knew that orchids hybridise and struggle to identify some of the others which are just starting to come into flower and will be in their full glory early next month. I was reassured to read that I’m not the only person to struggle with some plants.
Spotted leaves, but lower petal not noticeably divided. Is it a hybrid or Common Spotted? It’s too pale for Southern Marsh Orchid. I don’t have the answer but am leaning towards Common Spotted Orchid, Dactylorhiza fuchsii.
The photos do not do justice to this wonderful area – every bit as impressive a Bluebell Wood and both can only be enjoyed for a few weeks every year. Bluebell Wood is wonderful partly because it announces the arrival of spring. The orchids at Les Vicheris are the heralds of May, one of the loveliest months in our still beautiful island.
Natural history of the Bailiwick of Guernsey 