A rare monkey: Truth be told, I am a bit of a closet orchid fan. I love the fact that there are so many different varieties; that they sometimes take the mimicry of other animals to the extreme, and I am excited when I spot something really rare. That is often a hard thing to do with elusive British wildlife, but at least you can guarantee orchids will not run away when you look for them!

And orchids can bring out the ‘spotter’ in all of us: one particularly special place in Oxfordshire attracts hundreds of visitors every summer. Just to see one tiny flower.

Shaped like a monkey. It sounds cute, but why such a fuss? Well, BBOWT’s Hartslock Nature Reserve, near Goring, is one of only three places in the whole of the UK where the monkey orchid has managed to cling on.

So named for the apparent arms and tail that shape its petals, it flourishes at Hartslock thanks to the dedication of a band of volunteers who look after and monitor the orchids.

From only eight plants in 1977, to well over 450 today, BBOWT’s careful management of the chalk grassland here has ensured its future and benefited all kinds of other bugs, beasties and blooms too.

There is another surprise in store for visitors to this special site. Those raucous little monkeys have decided that they like to wear dresses!

Cross pollinating with the lady orchids on site (each petal adorned with a bonnet and billowing skirt), a hybrid lady-monkey orchid was confirmed in 2005 for the first time. Hartslock is the only place you can see this unique plant.

Pink carpet: Although it is lovely to see such rarities as the monkey orchid, sometimes the sheer number of flowers in any one place can take your breath away.

Pretty-in-pink pyramidal orchids can be seen in large numbers at Warburg, near Henley, while the pale flowers of common spotted-orchids pepper the grasses of Woodsides Meadow, near Bicester.

Further afield, Aston Clinton Ragpits, near Wendover, is well worth a visit for the carpet of fragrant orchids that turn the landscape pink and fill the air with scent.

For a real spectacle, visit Dry Sandford Pit during July when thousands of marsh helleborines fill the fen. In most other areas of the country this orchid is declining due to the draining of our wetlands.

But at Dry Sandford Pit, BBOWT’s careful management has bucked the trend and summer brings with it an amazing display.

Bee or not to bee: Many orchids are great mimics. Their flowers cleverly impersonate different insects, drawing them in on the promise of love which ends in the flower being pollinated and the insect being disappointed!

One of these sneaky mimics is the bee orchid. The flower’s velvet-textured lip looks just like a female bee, attracting male bees that try to mate with it, but who inadvertently pollinate the flower instead.

Sadly, the right species of bee does not occur in Britain, so the bee orchid is self-pollinated here.

Bee orchids can be found on the limestone grassland at BBOWT’s Sydlings Copse Nature Reserve, near Headington, and on the chalk grasslands of Warburg and Warren Bank, near Wallingford.

Find out more: Visit www.bbowt.org.uk for more ideas about how to get out and enjoy your local wildlife, or to find out about volunteering for the trust — you could help our special orchids too!