The Bog Orchid Malaxis Paludosa Elan Valley 28th July 2019. This is one of the smallest and most difficult to find UK orchids and as a result it is difficult to know with any certainty its rarity. However growing on wetlands mean that it is vulnerable to draining and other forms of habitat change. Its distribution is wide from the New Forest to Scotland. Flowering season is the only real chance you have to find it due to its tiny size – no bigger than 6cm tall and growing in slow flowing rivulets on moorland.
Its tiny bulbulets are relatively easy to find if you know where to look but these tend to slim down as the flowering spike emerges. Although it has green leaves the majority of its food comes from its fungal partner as the soil is usually leeched of its nutrients by the constant flow of water