Broad-leaved Helleborine a Good but Late Year

Broad-leaved Helleborine Epipactis helleborine growing in the light under a dead elm

From a personal perspective 2019 seems to have been absolutely fantastic for Broad-leaved Helleborine locally, with the old Cinder Track between Whitby and Scarborough being a real stronghold where the species is absolutely thriving. This is the most abundant and widespread Helleborine species in Britain, and locally is the most common of only a small handful of Helleborine species.

December is perhaps a strange time of year to blog about this species, however on some recent survey work I came across more remnants of the excellent 2019 season in an area of ancient woodland near Stainsacre (North Yorkshire). This was also a new patch of spikes I had not recorded the species before in the past. Locally, in eastern parts of Yorkshire, Broad-leaved Helleborine are essentially a species of deciduous woodland, usually occupying areas with a more open canopy along glades, woodland edge, paths etc, rarely along hedge banks. They will frequently occur into the woodland where a thin canopy occurs, rarely even occurring under a dark canopy, although I find this unusual. The recent plants in the picture above were growing in the light generated from elms Ulmus spp. which had succumbed to Dutch elms disease.

This species can be surprisingly difficult to find, and like some of the smaller orchid species can hide in plain sight. I often find Fly Orchid Ophrys insectifera and Bee Orchid Ophrys apifera can weirdly blend into the surrounding habitat until you get your eye in, much like these larger orchids. Unlike a lot of the other orchids I find in this area, Broad-leaved Helleborine seems far more tolerant of soil pH and whilst it prefers calcareous soils, it can be found in mildly acidic habitats too. The local plants appeared to be later flowering in 2019, than in 2018. A feature of Helleborine ecology is plants flower earlier and more sparsely during dry summers, and later and in higher numbers in wet summers, meaning this years relatively wet summer produced good numbers and later flowering plants.