Cefn Y Parc Cemetery is a superb, species rich hay meadow which since 2004 has been managed as conservation hay management. The wildflowers display has improved year on year, however, one species has refused to react. The cemetery is the only site in RCT for green winged orchids and from a population of 300 flowering plants thirty years ago, and 240 in 2004 and 80 in 2005, the orchid population at Cefn Y Parc Cemetery has declined and for the last decade has stabilised at between just 6 and 18 flowering spikes. While we hope that these famously stubborn orchid, which have a long lead-in period from seed set to flowering, do eventually increase in numbers, the low populations has allowed individual plants to be monitored. As a result we now know that once a plant starts to flower it will do so for between 2 and 5 weeks before disappearing, we also know that every year a few new plants do appear, which does raise hopes. It is also an example of how patient one has to sometimes be when dealing with rare species and complex life cycles, and that following individual plants can provide important insights.