Lucky find!. I wold mark its position in case anybody wishes to cultivate it in the future - then perhaps you could rescue it!

Oh no, Stera, don't mark its position. If some one wants to cultivate it they will do so with a spade! It is actually illegal to dig up and remove orchids.

It is my field so it won’t get ravaged. Would like to know what it is. Marsh orchid or pyramid orchid?

I am no orchid expert, Jan, but the habitat you describe is one prefered by Pyramidal Orchid. Marsh orchids tend to have a taller, slimmer flower head although odd plants can be rounder. I would plump for Pyramidal myself.

Heavens Bulba, I meant if anybody was going to cultivate the field, ie plough it, in which case finding the orchid to rescue it would be impossible without some sort of clue. But as Janpled owns the field and isn't going to plough it the situation dosesn't arise. I thought Pyramid too.

pyramidal orchid in my opinion too. a nice find. but so many people do dig them up but miss the storage organ and then its dead any way. the tubers rarely get damaged in the ploughing and resettle and regrow.

Thank you all for your comments. I think we are all agreed on the pyramid orchid. A beautiful find, I look forward to our next one.

Thats really good to know Seaburnghirl - very reassuring!
Does this apply to other orchids?

Species of Orchis, our British natives have a pair of tubers. Orkhis is the greek root for testicles also known as 'stones'. In medieval Britain one of our orchids was known as dog stones as the tubers were the shape of a dog's testicles.
the other genus Dactylorhiza have thinner tubers like a finger.But the same applies to them too. Dactyl being the greek root of the word for finger.

We had to learn this when I was doing my degree and it amused me so it stuck haha.