The Ghost Orchid, considered by many to be Britain’s rarest plant, has been rediscovered in Britain for the first time since 2009 and only the second time since the 1980s. The find was made by Richard Bate, a member of the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) and a keen amateur botanist since childhood.
Bate’s passion began with an encounter with a Bee Orchid when he was just 10, inspiring him to spend 30 years searching British woodlands for the elusive Ghost Orchid. A dental surgeon by profession, in his free time his passion for finding wild orchids has taken him all over the world.
His eye for detail was rewarded earlier this month when he found and photographed a single Ghost Orchid (Epipogium aphyllum) at a site in England. The find has been authenticated by the BSBI but the location is being kept secret to protect the delicate habitat and the sensitive underground parts of the orchid. They would be vulnerable to trampling by enthusiasts who visit sites annually in the hope of finding the “uber-elusive” plant.
