Helpston's wildlife
Bee orchid
Look out for bee orchids on the top field at Swaddywell Pit during June. Each flower of this plan looks like a bumble bee. The idea is to attract a real bee in order to bring about pollination, but strangely this elaborate ploy is a bit redundant as bee orchids pollinate without the help of bees anyway.
Bee orchids vary in numbers enormously from year to year. The population at Swaddywell returned when the land fill site was capped and the original top soil was pulled back across the site.
John Clare wrote about the bee orchid in a poem dedicated to Swordy Well.
I've loved thee Swordy Well and love thee still
Long was I with thee tending sheep and cow
In boyhood ramping up each steepy hill
To play at 'roly poly' down - and now
A man I trifle o'er thee cares to kill
Haunting thy mossy steeps to botanize
And hunt the orchis tribes where nature's skill
Doth like my thoughts run into phantasys
Spider and bee all mimicking at will...