But that effort etc is well worth it. Orchids are mostly very beautiful flowers that like to grow in some of the most unspoilt countryside left in the UK. The habitats they live in tend to be good for wildlife of all sorts, so a day out looking for them brings you in contact with all sorts of birds, mammals, insects, and other plant species. The would-be orchid watcher has all the incentive they could need to get into the field, therefore, all they really need is a good book to help them on their way…

It may seem a little presumptuous for a birder who has apparently shown no interest whatsoever in flowers to be reviewing a book on “Britain’s Orchids”, but I actually think that coming to a subject with relatively little previous experience puts me in a good position to say whether a Guide works or not. In the last few weeks I’ve seen eleven species of these beautiful and evocative plants and have been using ‘Britain’s Orchids’ extensively. The acid test, as far as I was concerned, was always going to be this: can I find and identify the UK’s orchids using this book?

And the answer: absolutely!

This very well-organised and lovely book really is hugely informative and user-friendly. It’s laid out so that photographic plates of each species face an accurate, detailed, up-to-date text with a distribution map. Each species has a photograph of the whole plant and a close-up of a floret, and all of the sub-species (confusingly there are often quite a few), varieties and forms are also featured. There are also photographs of a selection of hybrids, plus a further nine species of uncertain origin. Particularly helpful to us novices is a section entitled ‘An introduction to the species’. This is a quick reference key with brief descriptions alongside photographs of individual florets. The book also contains plenty of ‘background information’ on pollination, germination and growth requirements for orchids: it’s worth reading through each description just to learn about the many weird and wonderful ways these often peculiar plants have adapted to ensure successful pollination, whether by persuading male insects to “mate” with them (eg Fly and Bee Orchids), or having an anther cap “like a little hinged lid” that is pushed down towards the stigma by rain (the Fen Orchid).

The information included in the book is extremely well-thought out: flowering dates, conservation status, preferred habitats etc are clearly given - in both well-written introductory sections and then alongside each species - and are very useful indeed. From explaining what an orchid is to providing a bar chart which shows the flowering period of every orchid on one page, the author has done a great job in helping the novice get to grips with the whole subject of orchids right through to giving the more experienced botanist a thoroughly useable guide. The book doesn’t give that many specific sites where orchids grow of course - that’s not it’s purpose - but most sites are easily found on the internet, and once you’ve decided what you want to see and found out where they are, this book is all the reference you’re going to need from then on.

Have I no criticism of this book at all? Well there is the odd very minor typo (eg the nominate form of Fragrant Orchid is on page 100, not page 98 as it says on page 102). More pertinent perhaps is that some of the photographs haven’t reproduced all that well: most are very good, but the Lapland Marsh-orchid on page 127 is very ’soft’ and the Burnt Orchids on page 135 could probably do with replacing in the next edition). In fact it’s probably worth pointing out that anyone simply looking for a volume of beautiful photographs is likely to be a little disapppointed: most of the plates are functional rather than particularly aesthetic or arty - but this is a Guide to be used rather than a ‘coffee-table book’ to be admired, and as a Guide it performs perfectly. It’s also very well-priced AND is produced as part of a conservation effort to help Britain’s orchids survive our efforts to dig them up, convert their habitat, or make life as difficult as possible for them: it’s worth buying just for that…

Summary:
Hardback, 192 pages, 51 full-page colour plates and numerous smaller photographs.
So, am I going to drop birding and turn into a botanist because of this book? It’s very good, but it can’t work miracles! However, during the summer months it’ll be something that I’ll always have in my rucksack, and I’m sure the more I dip into it the more I’ll learn. If you’ve any interest at all in Britain’s orchids - whether you live in the UK or are planning a visit here - this book is highly recommended and is a definite must-buy.
ISBN 1-903657-06-7