Spiranthes romanzoffiana (Orchidaceae: specialist orchid form of mycorrhiza present) flowers in July and August. Plants also occur above ground in the non-flowering state but are hard to detect. Established plants can spend up to 6 years in the underground (U: sometimes called dormant) phase; Dr J. Robarts, personal communication. Both vegetative (V) and flowering (F) plants produce lateral buds which appear above ground in summer or early autumn. Current data indicate that it is in decline in Britain and Ireland, (UK Biodiversity Action Group, 1999). However numbers detected in study populations have increased over the 2 or 3 year periods of investigation, (Gulliver, Gulliver and Sydes, 2003). Most sites in Scotland are grazed by sheep and/or cattle. Plants are also grazed by wild vertebrates and by invertebrates, especially slugs. Plants are often defoliated by domestic stock. Stock modify sites by dung production. Their trampling activities can damage individual plants, can tear open swards and can create small to medium scale bare patches (especially in damp ground). Each of these activities may have some negative and some positive elements. For example, defoliation results in a loss of tissue; but, on balance, S. romanzoffiana with its second source of organic carbon, may be less disadvantaged than potential competitors. The objective was to investigate survival over a 4-year period at a heavily grazed and at a lightly grazed site.