I previously blogged about the Northern Marsh Orchid, Heath Spotted Orchid and other purple wild flowers of Orkney. Another wild orchid which grows on Orkney and flowers in early summer is the twayblade. It’s less dramatic than the purple forms, rarer too, but worth searching out.

Other (non purple) wild flowers include yellow flag, meadow vetchling, bog cotton, moon daisies, ragged robin, eyebright, bog strawberry, clover (known as Curly Doddies in Orkney) yellow rattle, buttercups… I even saw a moonwort – OK, not exactly a flower, but I was delighted to see one for the first time.