Excitement ran high when lesser twayblade, a diminutive, two‑leafed orchid that normally grows under the cover of heather, was found by the botanists Aline Thomas and Andree Dubbeldam on one of our southern hills. After all, it had not been recorded in the island since 1881, and their Sunday walk close to Snuff the Wind – a former mine – had hardly been charged with expectation. A government ranger was called and the record was made official.
That was in 2009. Afterwards, three further records were found, but then the shy little plant slipped back into hiding.
Stoney Mountain is close to Snuff the Wind. Its habitat is wet upland heath on granite, but one particular area was dry enough 40 years ago to be earmarked for a Sitka spruce plantation. The trees stood largely unbothered until winter 2024, when one of our violent gales struck – “if you want to see all of the Isle of Man, stand still and watch it blow past you” is a popular local joke, a nod to our situation in the notoriously rough Irish Sea.
Many trees fell, blocking established paths – but this led to a fresh discovery only weeks ago. The government ecologists Liz Charter and Philippa Tomlinson were visiting the mountain to survey its flora. The carnage forced them to leave their planned route and push through dense stands of spruce. As they bent double to get under low branches, to their astonishment, they spotted spikes of lesser twayblade. And not just a few but hundreds.
Visiting the stand of orchids now, I am amazed that it has grown in two such different habitats – open moorland and in the darkness of a spruce plantation. It is also extraordinary to me that these were found at all, their tiny stalks just peeking above the needles and moss. I applaud the skill and tenacity of the finders.
Many questions remain. Were the orchids growing here under heather when the trees were planted? Were they in the ground then, or blown in after? And why was this moorland specialist doing so well underneath Alaskan conifers?
Perhaps the orchid dislikes its “lesser” title and is getting its own back on the botanists.
• Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian’s Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at guardianbookshop.com and get a 15% discount
