Vinny Blood
@orchidvinny
Biophile based in Bournemouth. Love flora and fauna alike - with a particular interest in orchids.
Super shot Matt - managed a phone snap in the New Forest on June 19th. Was with some friends and we hoped to see the pupae being excavated from the ant burrows they dwell in as larvae. No luck there - but a good second prize 😊
What an incredible year for Jersey Tiger (Euplagia quadripunctata)! Seems to be an absolute explosion of this diurnal moth in southern England. 4 individuals in 4 days within a few hundred metres of home in Bournemouth. The wing patterns are unique, so I know it's not the same one flitting around 😜
It's Plantago lanceolata Jim - but not as we know it! A very odd, proliferate mutation. As only one plant affected, I would say genetic rather than a pathogenetic cause. Bournemouth 01.06.26. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social @dorsetwildlife.bsky.social
Something of a Dactylorhiza day in the New Forest 27.05.26. D.pratermissa, maculata, x hallii and incarnata ssp. pulchella all getting going! @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @ukorchids.bsky.social @withylake.bsky.social
Couple of uncommon beauties from the New Forest 17.05.26. Bastard Balm (Mellitis mellisophyllum) and Marsh Cinquefoil (Comarum palustre). @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social
Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina) 16.05.26 in southern Wiltshire. Unexpected encounter with this scarce species - lady luck smiled and I was able to capture my best ever image of this lovely little insect. #ukbutterflies
Six of the best - Green-winged Orchid (Anacamptis morio) variations from Barrington Hill Meadows 25.04.26 @bsbibotany.bsky.social @ukorchids.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @withylake.bsky.social #orchid
Anacamptis morio (Green-winged Orchid) - a beautiful hypochromic plant from East Somerset 25.04.26. #orchid @withylake.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social @ukorchids.bsky.social @greenwingstours.bsky.social
Wow! How time flies. Can hardly believe it's 4 years since I met Andy Rogers @withylake.bsky.social Many great orchid related adventures since - and I hope plenty more to come 🙂
Anacamptis coriophora ssp. fragrans a.k.a. Bug Orchid. Near Heraklion, Crete 20.04.26. #orchid
No need for AI when nature can do this! A totally joyful Ophrys cretica seen near Heraklion 20.04.26. #orchid #ophrys @withylake.bsky.social
Some fine examples of the colour range to be found in Orchis quadripunctata. Great time with @rogercharding.bsky.social at Rethymno prefecture, Crete, 19.04.26. #orchid #orchis @withylake.bsky.social
13-spike cluster of Pink Butterfly Orchid (Anacamptis papilionacea) in Crete 16.04.26.
My adventures in Crete are definitely turning into an epic. Today I found the Cyclops! OK, so it's an interesting variant of Ophrys heldreichii, but please allow me a little poetic licence 😉 #orchid
Found an attractive green form of Serepias orientalis in eastern Crete today (12.04.26). Special bonus invertebrate on the plant - in the form of a Dwarf Mantis! #orchid @withylake.bsky.social
Leontice leontopetalum - a herbaceous member of the Berberis family. In Crete, at lower altitudes it blooms in February. At an altitude of around 1150m, I found a few in flower on 10.04.26.
Iris tuberosa in Crete 10.04.26. Saw many thousands - and this one with distinctive golden colouration was a stand out!
Poppy Anemone (Anemone coronaria) at an altitude of around 1300m in Crete. 10.04.26.
Anacamptis collina may look a little dull from a distance. However, when you get in close and the sun is shining - then it's an absolute dazzler! Prina, Crete, 09.04.26. @withylake.bsky.social #orchid
A magnificent clump of Arum creticum, at around 1000m altitude. Thripti, Crete, 08.04.26. Thrilled to tick it off my wishlist in such spectacular fashion! 😄
Red on the Med. Poppy species glowing in the late sun, eastern Crete, 07.04.26
Ruta chalepensis showing off its frizzy bits nicely in the evening sun. Eastern Crete 07.04.26.
Early Spider Orchid (Ophrys sphegodes) in Dorset 02.04.26. @withylake.bsky.social @ukorchids.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social
A selection of Early Spider Orchid (Ophrys sphegodes) in Dorset 21.03.26. Although this is a decent showing for this date, it'll be mid-April before the best numbers and larger plants are out in force. @ukorchids.bsky.social @withylake.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social
I do so love Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna). I have a few cultivars in pots at home, and this double form shows off the amazing dusky-purple colour of the outer petal. Almost like ruffled feathers. @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social