After a walk around another churchyard in Phillack I followed a track on to the dunes in the hope of getting a view of the sea. I vaguely wondered whether I’d come across any orchids or common blue butterflies, but saw neither until I turned around to walk back and there at the side of the path were dozens of magenta pyramidal orchids (Anacamptis pyramidalis). How did I miss them?

The name ‘pyramidal’ comes from the conical shape of the young inflorescence of this plant. Once the flower is fully developed it becomes more cylindrical or egg-shaped.