Species

Species	Fen orchid - Liparis loeselii, plant
Habitat	COASTAL FLOOD AND GRAZING MARSH
Background and status	With a distinctly hollow stem about 15-60 cm tall, mid-green, usually unspotted leaves and a dense spike of reddish-lilac flowers, the fen orchid is a speciality of a few marshes, fens and dunes in East Anglia and South Wales, but it is now believed to be extinct in the South West. Many fen plants of small stature, such as the fen orchid are excluded by competition from the tall-growing reed-swamp and fen. Their chance comes when some accident - usually attributable to man - creates an open, more or less bare patch of peaty ground in which they can temporarily flourish. For this reason the fen orchid often flowers most prolifically for a year or two after the reeds are cut. Flowers June-July.
Main Threats	Agricultural intensification. Industrial and agricultural pollution. Drainage of wetland sites.
Conservation and targets	Improve the management of core sites.