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Vinny Blood

@orchidvinny.bsky.social
245 followers 50 following 326 posts

Biophile based in Bournemouth. Love flora and fauna alike - with a particular interest in orchids.

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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I count myself very fortunate to have good numbers of Autumn Lady's-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis) near to where I live in Bournemouth. This dainty-looking native orchid is incredibly drought resilient. Within days of the first rain showers the first plants were blooming!
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Stevie P @stevieparsons.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
My first Autumn Lady’s-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis) of the year. Quite a bit later than last year, these are right by the coast, kept hydrated by moisture from the sea. #orchid
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Stevie P @stevieparsons.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Some interesting #CommonNames at Kenfig, South Wales this morning. Vipers Bugloss, Fleabane, Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Rest Harrow, Eyebright, Autumn Lady’s-tresses. See ALT text for more on the names. #WildflowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social
Vipers Bugloss (named for its snake-like stems and bugloss = ox's tongue - because of its rough, tongue-shaped leaves). Fleabane (believed to keep fleas away), Bird’s-foot Trefoil (the seed pod resembles a bird’s foot) Rest Harrow (from the idea that it’s tough roots would stop a harrow), Eyebright (once ised as a treatment for eyesight), Autumn Lady’s-tresses (named for the twisting pattern of the flower spike).
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
A selection of the variations within Naked Man Orchid (Orchis italica) I saw in Crete in April 2026. As with so many orchid encounters, this exceeded my expectations by some margin!
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Andy Rogers @withylake.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Sundews & other bog species on Dorset heathland yesterday 2/8/2026. Marsh gentian (Gentiana pneumonanthe), all 3 native sundew spp, D.intermedia, D.anglica, D.rotundiflora + the hybrid Drosera x belezeana; & the interloper, the non-native D.binata 😃 @lizlouise.bsky.social @orchidvinny.bsky.social
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Andy Rogers @withylake.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Still some lovely Bog orchids (Hammarbya paludosa) flowering in a Dorset bog yesterday 2/8/2026. @ukorchids.bsky.social @orchidvinny.bsky.social @lizlouise.bsky.social
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Matt Berry @matthewberry.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
'Come fly with me' A Swallowtail. This species will forever remain as one of my most favourite butterflies, no matter where I go or what else I see.
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
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 😜
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Stevie P @stevieparsons.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Broad-leaved Helleborines (Epipactis helleborine) looking wonderful in the Dorset sunshine today 4/7/26. #orchid #wildflowers
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Amazing find!
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Dr Marcus Rhodes @marcusrhodes.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
A final visit to the Abbotts Wood Inclosure at Alice Holt this morning. Three male Purple Emperors searching the Sallows overhead, White Admirals and Silver-washed Fritillaries visiting the rideside Brambles, and Purple Hairstreaks flitting high-up in the Oaks.
A Purple Emperor butterfly perched with open wings on a Sallow leaf. Seen from below, its wings appear dark with a white band across them and a cluster of white spots on each tip of the forewings.A White Admiral butterfly nectaring from a Bramble flower. Its wings are dark brown with a white band across them.A Silver-washed Fritillary butterfly nectaring from a Bramble flower. Its wings are bright orange with black spots.A Purple Hairstreak butterfly perched on a developing acorn. The underside of its wings are silvery-grey with a white streak across them.
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Greenwings Wildlife Holidays @greenwingstours.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Odd-spot Blue (Turanana endymion). A tiny but special butterfly seen today on our Greek butterfly tour. It has an extremely limited distribution in Europe & is classed as Endangered (EN) on the @europebutterfly.bsky.social European Red List... www.bc-europe.eu/webpage.php?... 📸 Sotiris Alexiou
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Andy Rogers @withylake.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Common spotted orchids (Dactylorhiza fuschii), Slovenian stylee 😃💜🇸🇮 @ukorchids.bsky.social @orchidvinny.bsky.social
Semi bicolor!Rich colour, or var alpina?
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Andy Rogers @withylake.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Bog orchid (Hammarbya paludosa) in the morning dew - New Forest. 15/6/2026 @ukorchids.bsky.social @orchidvinny.bsky.social
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Andy Rogers @withylake.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Small-white orchid, Pseudorchis albida, with pollinator moth (and pollinia) & nectaring beetle. Mid Wales. 7/6/2026. @ukorchids.bsky.social @orchidvinny.bsky.social @pjvanmaaren.bsky.social @stevieparsons.bsky.social
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
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
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Andy Rogers @withylake.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Early marsh-orchids (Dactylorhiza incarnata subsp. pulchella) and Southern marsh-orchids (Dactylorhiza praetermissa) flowering a year to the day I last visited this undisturbed site in urban Bournemouth 😃 19/5/2026 @orchidvinny.bsky.social @ukorchids.bsky.social
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
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
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Wild Orchids UK & IE @ukorchids.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Pre-tour recce for @greenwingstours.bsky.social Emerald Isle trip. Looking forward to welcoming guests tomorrow 👍 plenty of Early Purple in a beautiful setting, plus a few new friends made 😂
Early Purple Orchids with a Green VeinedWhite butterfly on one.Early Purple Orchids with a wide vista behind Early Purple OrchidInquisitive goat at the farm!
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Greenwings Wildlife Holidays @greenwingstours.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
Military #Orchid (Orchis militaris) & hybrids between it and Lady Orchid (Orchis purpurea) known as Orchis x hybrida. Just 1 of the endless treasures found during our ongoing Sibillini & Abruzzo tour in the Apennines of Italy right now!
The Military Orchid (Orchis militaris).Hybrid between Military and Lady orchids . It is appropriately known as Orchis x hybrida.An intensely coloured hybrid between O militaris and O. purpurea---soldiers flirt with ladies. It is appropriately known as Orchis x hybrida.
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
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
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
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Andy Rogers @withylake.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Parsonage Down - "Nil Points"; Martin Down - "Tres" - Burnt-tip orchids 😃 16/5/2026 @orchidvinny.bsky.social @lizlouise.bsky.social @stevieparsons.bsky.social
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
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
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Andy Rogers @withylake.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Tour de Dorset, 4/5/2026. White helleborine, Bird's-nest orchid, Green-winged orchids, Fly orchids, Southern marsh-orchids, Greater butterfly-orchids and a fish supper 😃😋 @ukorchids.bsky.social @orchidvinny.bsky.social
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Andy Rogers @withylake.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
Heath-spotted orchids (Dactylorhiza maculata) also in flower today 3/5/2026, East Devon Pebblebeds. @orchidvinny.bsky.social @ukorchids.bsky.social
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Andy Rogers @withylake.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
Bee orchids (Ophrys apifera) flowering in Exeter today, 3/5/2026, a good 10 days earlier than last year 😱 @ukorchids.bsky.social @orchidvinny.bsky.social
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Andy Rogers @withylake.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Six lovely white Early-purple orchids (Orchis mascula) in a small population (~100 plants) on a road verge North of Exeter this evening 29/4/2026. Another white one close by! @rogercharding.bsky.social @orchidvinny.bsky.social @ukorchids.bsky.social
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Matt Berry @matthewberry.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
A hyperchromatic hybrid - Anacamptis x kallithea Parents are Anacamptis fragrans x Anacamptis sancta. #RhodesOrchidOdyssey #Greenwings #Orchids
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
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
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Andy Rogers @withylake.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Some of the truly wonderful Ophrys fuciflora group of orchids from Sicily last week 18-24/4/2026 💛💜🩷🇮🇹 @orchidvinny.bsky.social @ukorchids.bsky.social
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
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
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
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 🙂
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
The beautiful Crimson Speckled (Utetheisa pulchella) - a day flying moth. Crete 30.06.26. #moths #crete
The beautiful Crimson Speckled (Utetheisa pulchella) - a day flying moth. Crete 30.06.26.
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Anacamptis coriophora ssp. fragrans a.k.a. Bug Orchid. Near Heraklion, Crete 20.04.26. #orchid
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Tristan Norton @trisnorton.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
Early Purple Orchids Orchis mascula. Nr Sparsholt, Hampshire today. @bsbibotany.bsky.social #wildflowerhour @ukorchids.bsky.social
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
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
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
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
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
13-spike cluster of Pink Butterfly Orchid (Anacamptis papilionacea) in Crete 16.04.26.
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
A freshly emerged Swallowtail Butterfly in Crete 17.04.26.
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
A small but exceptional Naked Man Orchid (Orchis italica). Saw this hyperchromic stunner in central southern Crete 12.04.26 #orchid #orchis
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
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
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
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
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
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.
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Iris tuberosa in Crete 10.04.26. Saw many thousands - and this one with distinctive golden colouration was a stand out!
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Poppy Anemone (Anemone coronaria) at an altitude of around 1300m in Crete. 10.04.26.
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
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
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
A tiny and exquisite orchid - so happy to find Ophrys omegaifera ssp. fleischmannii near Thripti in Crete. 08.04.26. #ophrys #orchid
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
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! 😄
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Red on the Med. Poppy species glowing in the late sun, eastern Crete, 07.04.26
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Vinny Blood @orchidvinny.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Ruta chalepensis showing off its frizzy bits nicely in the evening sun. Eastern Crete 07.04.26.
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