The summer is a time of riotous profusions of wildflowers. Various hues ranging from delicate pastels to eye-catching vivid colours pepper the landscape. Here at Fen Drayton Lakes, there are lots of flourishing places to observe the spectacle of colour. This article will cover a few of the better places to go searching and what to look out for.
For a brief window of time, the wetland margins on Ferry Lagoon can be a vision of purple created by Purple Loosestrife. This is a tall plant that likes to grow in damp soil and is a favourite of pollinating insects because the flower stem is a collection of many hundreds of smaller flowers offering lots of nectar. Set against fresh green reeds, this colour combination really is something to be seen in person.
The busway through the reserve creates a connection not just for people but for flowers. The banks of the busway were seeded when completed and June and July are peak times for the Ox-eye Daisies and Hedge Bedstraw which grow here in abundance. Both have white flowers but look out for the yellow centres to the daisies. Many other wildflowers also grow here such as the yellow Lady’s Bedstraw and lilac Field Scabious. The long continuous banks allow seeds to spread over time, helping to maintain the diversity of species.
Perhaps the pinnacle of plants at the reserve is the rare sight of a Bee Orchid. They seem to pop up in different places every year and are rather small, so seeing them in amongst other flowers and grasses is a real botanical challenge. The Bee Orchid is a mimic, whereby the flower impersonates a female bee. This lures male bees to fly in and pollinate the flower. However, there’s a twist in this story. The specific bee that does this behaviour is not present in the UK and the orchid must self-pollinate instead. Nature is often more complicated than it first appears!
Bee Orchid in bloom – Henry Cook
Why not come to the reserve and take in the seasonal display put on by the wildflowers.
--Henry Cook