Creeping Lady’s Tresses is a rare native wildflower and the only evergreen orchid in Britain, found almost exclusively in Scotland, where it is restricted to the remnants of the ancient Caledonian forest, including Glen Affric, Strathspey, the Cairngorms and the Black Isle. It is a highly specialised plant adapted to the unique micro-environment created by damp carpets of moss under the canopy of Scots Pine and Birch trees. It had historical ranges in southwest Scotland and Orkney but has declined since the 1970s.
As the plant has highly specific habitat needs, its population has been affected by felling and thinning of native pine forests, scrub encroachment, and overgrazing pressure by deer. Likewise, Creeping Lady’s Tresses have a symbiotic dependence on mycorrhizal fungi to germinate - if the fungi are missing from the soil, the seeds die.
