Close-up of the Military Orchid Orchis militaris photographed at its Suffolk site, one of only three that remain in the UK.

The East Anglian plants, discovered in 1955, survive in an abandoned chalk pit and they are thought to have originated from wind blown continental seed. In keeping with this, the Suffolk plants share some features with their continental counterparts that are distinct from what are considered to be true UK natives in the Chiltern Hills of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

This photograph was featured on the web site of the BBC Wildlife Magazine.

Ref: MN0026

Location: Suffolk