Rare orchids have been flourishing at a site in New Addington, sparking excitement among Croydon's horticultural enthusiasts.

The Greater Butterfly orchid - not often found in the area - has flowered inside the Hutchinsons Bank nature reserve on Farleigh Dean Crescent.

However just a few days after the orchids flowered two of the three Greater Butterfly specimens had been eroded by slugs.

In contrast, the rare Man orchid - which is in decline all over the British Isles - is thriving on up to 20 sites all over the borough.

The burgeoning flowers have sparked such an interest that a special orchid walk was held today (Sunday) as part of the BBC's Springwatch weekend.

Martin Wills is a horticultural consultant from New Addington who has worked with orchids at Kew Gardens and was one of the people who helped establish the Hutchinsons Bank nature reserve more than 20 years ago.

He said: "The Greater Butterfly is rare for Croydon but unfortunately in a matter of days slugs got to two of the three flowers and now there's only one left, so I'm not sure how long we'll have it for.

"The other interesting thing is that we have lots of the rare Man orchids in Croydon, which are in severe decline all over the British Isles. Man orchids are often found in the Surrey, Kent and Sussex areas but for some reason they are in decline in all of these places except Croydon. I know of between 15 and 20 sites in the borough where the Man orchids are flourishing.

"Orchids use a particular type of fungus to grow so there must be something here which is helping them."

The Hutchinsons Bank nature reserve is managed by the London Wildlife Trust who organised today's orchid walk as part of the BBC's Springwatch weekend.

The orchid walk was led by local expert David Slimming and Martin Wills. The BBC Springwatch weekend aims to encourage people to enjoy the nature on their doorstep .