Those of you that live locally may have seen Rosy walking through the local country lanes in the evenings, when the weather is kind. What you may not be aware of is how many of our local wildflowers she makes note of on these forays.

Prior to opening the nursery on a recent Sunday morning, Rosy and I went for a wander through the long grass of the field south of the nursery, part of which is also our car park. Rosy deliberately allows a large part of the field to grow on, undisturbed. On this particular Sunday she began introducing me to the myriad wild flowers that have moved into the meadow, and the array of pollinators that make use of the diverse habitat it provides.

The main nursery is teeming with bees and butterflies but the population on the meadow is different to those seen on our plants. We will be exploring this area in a later article.

For today we are focusing on a plant that is to be found in the local area and is in flower now. Meet the Helleborine, a native orchid who's correct name is Epipactis helleborine. Growing up to 75 cm, this plant is mainly a woodland native and can tolerate deep shade. It can also be found at the edges of well trodden paths, river banks, Beech woodland and cemataries, railway cuttings and other areas that are rarely tended.. It prefers alkaline soil, so the local chalky lanes are an ideal place to spot it. The leaves are large and deeply veined and the flowers can number up to 60 on a single plant. The flowers are densely-packed and vary in colour from yellowy green to a quite dark muted pink.

The flower is divided into separate parts as follows.

The sepals (outer part of the plant that surrounds the flower bud) are a tapered oval and can have a purple flush.

The petals are similar but are often lighter in colour.

The hypochile (inside of the flower) is pale greenish white or pink-to-purple, and the interior of the lower 'cup' is darker and sometimes purple.

The epichile (outermost part) is heart shaped and folds backwards, and is usually a duller tone that the other parts of the flower.

The flower is a rich source of nectar, and if a certain fungus is present, can produce alcohol, which seems to please the bees and wasps that come weaving back for more.

The extraordinary structure and changeable colours of this plant invite closer inspection, but as with all wild flowers, look but please don't touch.

Helleborines are in flower from July to early September.