Operation Orchid: 200 native wild orchids given a new home on Teesside

One of the North East’s most delicate conservation operations has seen 200 wild orchids carefully lifted by hand and given a new home, offering the precious, native flowers the chance to bloom for generations to come.

The Northern Marsh and Pyramidal Orchids have been carefully rescued from Greenabella Marsh and replanted at RSPB Saltholme and Seaton Common National Nature Reserve.

The day-long operation brought together the Environment Agency, RSPB Saltholme, Hartlepool Borough Council, British Orchids, The Tees Rivers Trust, Cleveland Naturalists’ Field Club, and Natural England to safeguard the orchids before future habitat changes.

The orchids will be dormant when moved, meaning the success of the operation will not be known until they emerge and flower next spring.

They were moved because part of Greenabella Marsh will become intertidal habitat as part of the Environment Agency’s Greatham North East Flood Alleviation Scheme. Although there was no legal requirement to relocate the flowers, partners joined together to protect the rare plants.

They were helped by 20 volunteers, all working side by side, to carefully lift, transport and replant the orchids using specialist techniques designed to give them the best possible chance of survival.

Seeds were also collected and sown at RSPB Saltholme and Seaton Common, which were chosen because they already support suitable habitat and existing orchid populations, offering the best possible chance for the transplanted orchids to thrive in suitable soil conditions.

As the orchids are currently dormant beneath the ground, there are no immediate signs of success, with conservationists set to return next summer in the hope of seeing fresh leaves and flowers emerge.

Methods being used in the translocation are under the guidance of British Orchids.

Previously, it was thought that surrounding soil would need to be translocated with the orchid to maintain the supportive mycorrhizal fungal network, but now it is understood that the Northern Marsh and Pyramidal orchids can be translocated to suitable receptor sites as dormant tubers without the need to translocate soil.

Chris Francis, senior manager at RSPB Saltholme, said: “Wild orchids are among Britain’s most beautiful native plants and we’re incredibly proud that Saltholme has been chosen to give many of them a new home.

“There are never any guarantees when moving wild plants, but we’ve selected habitat where they have the very best chance of thriving. If visitors are able to enjoy these orchids flowering here for many years to come, it will be a wonderful conservation success and a fantastic example of organisations coming together to do the right thing for nature.”

Suzanne Noble, orchid specialist, British Orchids, said: “Britain is home to some truly extraordinary wild orchids. They may not be as exotic as the orchids people associate with tropical rainforests, but our native species are every bit as fascinating, beautiful and special.”

“Wild orchids have evolved over thousands of years alongside fungi, insects and the habitats they depend upon, making them important indicators of healthy ecosystems. Moving them is always a carefully considered process, but by following a careful process  we hope these plants will establish successfully in their new homes and continue to delight people while supporting biodiversity long into the future.”

Coun Rob Darby, chair of Hartlepool Borough Council’s Housing, Growth and Communities Committee, said: “This is a fantastic example of organisations working together to protect and enhance our local natural environment. By bringing together the expertise and commitment of all the partner organisations, we are giving these beautiful native orchids the best possible chance to thrive in their new homes.

“Hartlepool is fortunate to have such important wildlife habitats on its doorstep.”

The Environment Agency’s Greatham North East Flood Alleviation Scheme will provide flood defences for nearby communities while also creating around 15 hectares of valuable new intertidal habitat, helping wildlife adapt to future environmental change.

• The Flood Alleviation Scheme is subject to planning permission from Hartlepool Borough Council.