Listen to David Chappel:

Epipactis sancta, the Lindisfarne Helleborine, is a rare and endangered orchid species that is endemic to Lindisfarne (Holy Island). It has been suggested that it may have been introduced to the island by the monks, who used it for medicinal purposes, and it was only rediscovered in 1958. It is one of the least showy orchids in the world, although has generated heated debate as to how distinct it was to the dune helleborine (which I will leave to the plant geneticists).

My attention was drawn to it by my wife who went on a Natural History Society of Northumbria (NHSN) visit to find the orchids of Lindisfarne led by James Common. I was too late in the year to see it bloom so I created the print from photographs. In the spirit of Thomas Bewick I have made a wood engraving on English Boxwood. The irregular shaped block was supplied by Chris Daunt – one of the very few people who maintains the skill of creating these blocks.

I have tried to give a feel for the setting on the sand dunes with three linocuts of the land, sea and dunes. The shadowy ‘pilgrims’ heading across the Snook are, in fact, the NHSN looking for orchids.