This population of Bee Orchids has been taken from an inter-carriageway parcel of land on one of our highway projects. Bee Orchids are not protected by legislation; however, the plant is site specific and occurs in one small area of the development site. As this area will be lost to construction we are attempting to safeguard the local population of Bee Orchids by carefully translocating them to a receptor site.
The Bee Orchids are currently being cared for by our ecological consultant’s, Middlemarch Environmental Ltd, whilst the receptor site is prepared. Topsoil and seed collected from the donor site will also be translocated along with the Bee Orchids turves to aid continued colonisation. The translocation of the topsoil is a critical part of the process as Bee Orchids live in symbiotic relationship with mycorrhiza (a soil-dwelling fungus
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