Effect of mowing regime on abundance of green-winged orchid Anacamptis morio on coastal grassland in Merseyside, England.
Abstract
This study describes a modified mowing regime that allowed green-winged orchids Anacamptis morio, discovered in 1985 on coastal grassland on a rifle range on the Sefton Coast, Merseyside, to flower and set seed. A delay in spring/summer mowing until 15 July each year led to a progressive increase in the population to a total of nearly 32,000 flower spikes by 2016, while adjacent ranges managed by regular mowing showed no such increase.