Heath Spotted

Summer comes quickly in the Highlands, witness the appearance in a matter of days of the third of the five orchid species we've found round Golspie. It's best seen along the track that runs from our house steadily uphill towards Loch Lunndhaid, growing in small colonies, mostly along the right side of the road, though there's the occasional single one and a few have managed to migrate across the road.

This is the first heath spotted of the year. I have mixed feelings when I find that 'first' of each species: pleasure in finding it, and knowing we'll see it through its season, but also regret that the excitement of that first find is already passed for another year.

Heath spotted orchids are very understated, appearing in a few, muted colours, including plain white.  As their name suggests, they're found out on the open muirland, in boggy places or on the sides of ditches. 

This is about as colourful as they get, but to some extent they make up for their lack of excitement by being the most abundant of the local orchids. Like all the orchids, they occur in certain favoured places so, unless one knows where to look, finding them can be a matter of luck. We know of only two places in the immediate Golspie area where they occur in any numbers: along the Loch Lunddhaid track and near Golspie Tower.