Man Orchid

Near this wall is the Daisy Banks, a natural habitat ranging from chalk grasslands to ancient semi-natural woodland. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, most of the land was owned by the War Department and for this reason it remained largely undeveloped. During the summer days one of Britain’s rarest and most endangered plants grows here, named the Man Orchid. The unusual name stems from its distinct appearance of little men, with the petals forming the head and the lobes of the labellum resembling a dangling torso and limbs.