Environment and Water quality
Environmental News October 2022
Bee Orchid flower
Have you spotted the Bee orchids at the sailing club? It is lovely to see some of the different species of wild flowers that we get. One of our club members has roped these orchids off so that they don't get mowed when the banks are mowed. They are just about going over now but still worth a look at this weekend.
"The Bee orchid gets its name from its main pollinator - a species of bee - which is thought to have driven the evolution of the flowers. To attract the bees that will pollinate the plant, it has flowers that mimic their appearance. Drawing them in with the promise of love, the bees attempt a mating. As they land on the velvet-textured lip of the flower, the pollen is transferred and the poor bee is left frustrated. Sadly, the right species of bee doesn't occur in the UK, so Bee Orchids are self-pollinated here. Look out for their diminutive flower spikes on dry, chalk and limestone grasslands from June to July. (The Wildlife Trusts)".
Latest water quality test results can be found on the Conservancy website at:
www.conservancy.co.uk/page/water-sampling-results
Claire Ashton -
Environment Officer.environment@langstonesc.org.uk
Kevin Edwards - Water Quality Officer
