Ireland: Killarney NP – Bird’s Nest Orchid

This was a totally unexpected find – an ultra rare orchid in the woodlands of Killarney National Park – Bird’s-nest Orchid (Neottia nidus-avis). It is extremely rare and protected by law in Ireland and incuded in the Red Book of Protected Flora. This orchid completely lacks chlorophyll and doesn’t photosynthesize – it is known as a mycoheterotroph or essentially a parasite. The system it is exploring is quite amazing: the oak trees in Killarney form a symbiotic relationship with the underground fungi where both benefit – the tree photosynthesizes and sends sugars down to the fungi, while the vast fungal network absorbs water and minerals from the soil and feeds them back to the tree roots, and so both parties benefit. The orchid, however, mimics the tree’s root system and plugs itself into the fungi and thus siphons the tree’s nutrients via it – so it’s like a second degree, derivative, level of parasitism. The orchid’s underground system looks like a twisted nest of roots – hence the name! All this makes the orchid super rare – it can only grow in this specific three-way relationship with oaks and fungi – so the areas are quite limited. It cannot be replanted or grown in a garden.