Orchids - nature's exotic

Which one is this ...?

If you are not a great expert, it can be difficult to find out which wild orchid you have photographed and here it can be important to also have a photo where the leaves are visible! At Naturbasen and inaturalist you can post pictures and register your find.

If you are in doubt, there is almost always one of the other users who can help further, and either confirm your suggestion or tell you which species it is. At the same time, you participate in the registration of the diversity in the Danish nature and can share photos for the enjoyment of others.

Danish Nature Association - Sønderborg

The "Guardians of Nature" in Sønderborg not only keep an eye on whether nature is properly managed. They also help to nurture and promote the wild nature in the Sønderborg area via free tours.

Every year in June, an event is held in connection with "The Wild Flower Day" and in addition there are year-round tours with topics such as birds, flowers, bats and mushrooms.

In order to preserve nature's biodiversity, other nature must give way, and you can take part in that work at events such as harvest day or nature conservation in an area where scrub may need to be cleared to make room for, for example, orchids.

Broad-leaved marsh orchid

Likes to grow on moist meadows and in marshy areas where the groundwater is rich in nutrients and lime. The plant has a strong stem and the leaves are generally broad with strong spots on the upper side. The flowers are purple and can vary in shade.

Height: 15-40 cm.
Flowering: Mid/late May - early June
Other: Pollinated by bumble bees.

Common spotted orchid

Likes to grow in deciduous forests on moist and calcareous soil. The plant has a slender stem and the leaves are broad at the bottom of the plant and become more lanceolate higher up, the leaf spots are wider than long. The flowers are violet to whitish and sit in a pyramidal flower spike.

Height: 45-70 cm
Flowering: June-July.

Broad-leaved helleborine

Grows in forests and thickets on loam, where the soil is rich in nutrients and lime. The plant has a long and slender stem with green leaves. It can have up to hundreds of flowers that are green with brown or violet insides.

Height: Approx. 100 cm
Flowering: July-September
Other: Pollinated by wasps.

Greater butterfly-orchid

Grows on good soil in open forests, thickets, on open meadows and grasslands. The plant has two large, green lanceolate leaves at the bottom of the stem. The white flowers have long spurs that are part of the flower.

Height: 25-40 cm
Flowering: June-early July
Other: Pollinated by moths.

Green-winged orchid

Grows on moist to semi-dry, calcareous soil. Preferably near the coast on slopes, grasslands and grassy meadows. The plant's flowers are very open and vary in color from dark purple to white. The leaves sit in a rosette around the stem.

Height: 8-30 cm
Flowering: May-June
Other: Pollinated by bumble bees and honey bees.

Heath spotted-orchid

Grows on lean soil in the heath, on meadows and heaths and pastures. The plant has narrow leaves that are usually heavily spotted on the upper side. The flowers are pale violet and often brighter than those of the Common spotted orchid.

Height: 20-40 cm
Flowering: Mid-June-beginning of August (depending on the place of growth)
Other: Pollinated by bees and large flies.

Eggleaf twayblade

Grows in open forests and thickets as well as on grasslands. Despite its height, this is probably the most overlooked of the wild orchids in Denmark, as its small, delicate flowers are completely pale green. The plant has two large, egg-shaped leaves at the bottom of the stem.

Height: 75-100 cm
Flowering: June-July
Other: Pollinated by small insects.

The spade must stay at home!

Orchids require very special conditions to grow, so bring your camera on a trip and capture the flowers instead of letting them die at home in your garden.

Where some parasitic species of the orchid family grow on trees, Denmark's wild orchids grow in soil. Depending on the species in question, very special conditions are required for the individual plant to grow and thrive - some of them even live in symbiosis with fungi.

It's just a small bouquet or single plant...

Spotted orchids are pollinated by insects, such as the bumble bee, and after flowering they form capsules with thousands of seeds, which will ensure the population in the future. So just a single flower equals a thousand plants.

There are around 35 species of orchids in Denmark and regardless of whether there is a single one or the entire meadow is full, they are protected and must not be picked, dug up, collected or destroyed - even their growing places are under protection.