Ghost Orchid has been discovered flowering in England this summer, marking the first time since 2009 that the enigmatic plant has been definitively recorded on British soil.

A single spike was found at an undisclosed site by Dr Richard Bate, a botanist who has been searching for the mysterious orchid for 30 years.

Ghost Orchid is widely thought of as Britain’s most elusive plant. A long potential flowering period combined with individual plants only appearing above ground for a few days makes it a challenge to find. When factoring the high risk of slug damage, as well as the plants’ small size and inconspicuousness in the leaf litter of a dark forest, it is clear why botanists consider it so difficult to search for.