Bryan Yorke passed away on 28th May 2022. His informative and delightful blogs have been viewed and enjoyed by a number of people over the years, and he'll be missed by many friends and followers.
I had known Bryan since he moved to Cumbria, but it was only in the last few years that we became good friends and enjoyed each others company on the crags. He was a hugely knowledgeable but utterly humble man.
Bryan had been studying the orchids on Hutton Roof for over a decade, and concentrating his work on one particular area on the fell for the last several years. With the permission of Cumbria Wildlife Trust he used small wire cages to protect some of the notable plants from predators.
I was privileged to occasionally accompany him round the study area as well as joining him when taking small groups on a tour of the crags. He really loved showing these beautiful plants to an appreciative audience.
Unfortunately Bryan's health during winter and spring of this year meant he was less active than normal, so it was my pleasure to check the cages and area for him.
The last time he managed to get up onto the crags was towards the end of February. By this time it was clear his health was troubling him, and we had to cut our day short. He was determined to still get out when he could however, and it was pleasing to hear he had reached a personal conclusion on the 'westmorlandii' which gave him a sense of closure.
Bryan's love for the area and Hutton Roof in particular is evident in his blogs. The special orchids there were top of his list. The last message he sent to me a few days before he passed urged me to 'share our goodies'.
I determined to do what I could. I obtained the authority of Cumbria Wildlife Trust to continue to use the study site and cages, and met with Pete, the reserve warden, on the site. It was also important for me to get the support of Bryan's good friend Alan Gendle, referred to by Bryan on his blog as "the great Cumbrian orchid man". Alan made many of the orchid cages for Bryan, and it was good to go round the site with Alan this year; albeit it feeling a wholly different place without our friend.
It was also essential for me to have the blessing and backing of Bryan's wife, Sandra.
My own commitments meant by necessity I restricted myself in the main to the special Epipactis atrorubens (including the var. pallens and bicolours) and Epipatis x schmalhausenii hybrids which have a recorded history. Cages were placed out exactly where and as Bryan had the previous year, with a small number of exceptions. He was keen to get a handful of specimens protected this year that had not been protected before, such as the stunning 'wheat' specimen, '42', which was found by Bryan last year, but taken down shortly afterwards, and the magnificent '100', a high vigour schmalhausenii hybrid, which had over 60 flowers last year.
I simply haven't the time presently to continue the monitoring and recording on Hutton Roof in the depth he did. And realistically, I haven't anything like the wealth of knowledge he obtained in well over a decade of studying these captivating plants.
However, if I can continue to record the notable specimens, some having been studied and recorded for several years, and in the process continue to share these brilliant plants and allow them to be appreciated, then I will have achieved a realistic short term goal.
Bryan's enthusiasm influenced me, as I'm sure it has many others, and I share his love for this amazing area.
Martin
12 October 2022
Some images from 2022 on Hutton Roof
This year the majority of atrorubens were at their best 2-3 days later than 2021.
A continued increase in light green stemmed specimens, possibly at stages of introgression, in the approx. 750m x 500m study area.
Further bicolours noted (particularly the red sepal/yellow petal combination), with more plants recorded.
A good year for the var. pallens, with eight reaching full inflorescence, and another two specimens found.
The value of the cages for protection from the hare and deer was most evident in the 15s and 17s swarm area, which suffered from predation. They are at the edges of the pavement area, so not unexpectedly they are a favourite for the deer.
Notable bicolour variants protected and recorded, as were many schmalhausenii hybrids.
Individual specimen histories, updates and photographs can be found in each relevant section of the blog.
It's a pleasure to share these with you.
%20col.jpg)
