PURPLE HAZE

ORCHID MEADOWS

Mike Dilger’s

WILDLIFE SPECTACLES

The broadcaster, naturalist and tour guide shares the most breathtaking seasonal events in Britain

SURELY NO OTHER HABITAT HARKENS back to a bygone era more than a lowland meadow brimming with orchids. Despite providing perhaps Britain’s finest pinkish-purple spectacle, the disappearance of 97 per cent of all our orchid meadows since World War II is a tragic and all-too-familiar tale. In a battle that pitched flower-rich meadows against both rapidly changing farming methods and the needs of an ever-expanding population, there was only ever going to be one winner.

Meadows are often considered