Toothwort

We are sad to be leaving Silverdale today and driving south, but hopeful that spring will really have arrived in Buckinghamshire while we've been away. I had to get a shot of this remarkable plant before we leave. Toothwort is a ghostly parasite. growing in damp shady conditions on the roots of hazel. It spends most of its time underground and is even able to set seed without seeing the light of day. Like bird's-nest orchid and yellow bird's-nest it has no chlorophyll, so takes all its energy from the trees it grows on. However, it does have a supplementary source of energy supplies as its flowers are capable of catching small insects, though this feature seems to be poorly developed. The country name is Corpse Flower and the belief was that it was growing out of buried bodies, but I wonder whether this was a corruption of 'Copse Flower' as it must have been a feature of some of the extensive hazel copses in medieval times. Must pack now. Goodbye Silverdale and Arnside.