Sword-leaved Helleborine

A trip across the border into Hampshire today to see the Sword-leaved Helleborine. Although described as rare and very local, it can be found in large numbers if you find the right spot. The glades in this small beech wood were showing hundreds of specimens, possibly thousands if we had searched further.

Display of Sword-leaved Helleborine.

Sword-leaved Helleborine

Sword-leaved Helleborine

Sword-leaved Helleborine

There were also a few Fly Orchids showing in a shaded glade. These were the first I had seen in a wooded environment and were much smaller than the ones found on open grass.

Fly Orchid

Fly Orchid

A quick stop  on the way back into Sussex gave us sight of fresh spikes of Birds Nest Orchids with one spike just coming into flower.

Birds Nest Orchid

Birds Nest Orchid

Then a trip over into East Sussex for unfinished business with the Burnt Orchids. We had been out at the end of last week finding more Early Purple Orchids and also a few Twayblades which were starting to show but had ended up searching the wrong area for the Burnt Orchids. Worst still, the area was crawling with Ticks, a good reason for sticking with the long trousers.

Early Purple Orchid

Twayblades

Today, back on the Burnt Orchids and following a bit more research, we found the right area and managed to see the orchids.

These were the first Burnt Orchids I had seen and they were a bit smaller than I had expected. Two below shown along side a Buttercup for comparison.

Burnt Orchids and Buttercup

A few of the flower spikes came up a bit bigger but probably nothing over 80 millimetres. There were hundreds of flower but they were mostly grouped into small areas of twenty to eighty plants. It is difficult to see why they do not spread over a much wider area but there must be something very specific about the conditions prevailing in the preferred areas.

Burnt Orchid

Burnt Orchid

Burnt Orchid

Burnt Orchid

The Orchid list is building nicely but I am getting a bit behind on birds. I must try to live up to the name of my blog and make some time to go bird watching. On the other hand, there are a couple more Orchids to see before the month is out.

Lady Orchid

Next on the list, Lady Orchid, and a trip down into Kent to find it. An early start got us down close to Bonsai Bank before eight thirty. I say close to, as we then took the wrong footpath and ended up taking a bit of a tour around Denge Wood before we found the orchids. Lovely place, nice walk but we had lots of sites to visit that day and it wasn't the best of starts.

There were plenty of Early Purple Orchids around and a good few Lady Orchids coming into flower.

Lady Orchid

Floret from the orchid above

Unfortunately I will be the last person to see this flower. It was trampled by a dog running loose whilst I was in the middle of photographing it. There's a whole wood to walk the dogs in. Why bring them into the fenced off orchid area.

Lady Orchid

Our tour of the wood was actually of benefit. As well as working off a few extra calories we were still on site when the Duke of Burgundy butterflies started to appear. These are a late riser and we would probably have missed them without our delayed arrival. This was my first sighting of these butterflies for the year but it was also a reminder, that now is the time to look for them on the Sussex downs.

Duke of Burgundy

The temptation was to take more pictures of the Dukes but that would be mission drift against the day's targets and we would also risk damaging the site's rare flowers whilst pursuing the butterflies.

There was more to see at Bonsai but we needed to move on so we headed back to the car and made our way over to Yocklett's Bank. More Lady Orchids there plus some early Twayblades and we found a single Fly Orchid.

Lady Orchid

Common and Pink form but no Whites

Lady Orchid

Common Twayblade

Fly Orchid

Fly Orchid

Next stop Park Gate Down. A great site but this was more of a recce to find out where it was and where to park. The only orchids showing at the site were the Early Purple but it will be worth a visit later in the year.

Early Purple Orchid

Early Purple Orchid

The final destination for the day was Samphire Hoe. I had been there birding a few times but searching for orchids was a first for me. Actually it wasn't much of a search. The warden there is always very helpful, this time he pointed out the Early Spider Orchids in the middle of the car park. Not too far to walk, easy pictures and plenty of time for a cup of tea and a bacon roll before we headed for home.

Early Spider Orchid

Early Spider Orchid

Early Spider Orchid

We are going to need another visit to Kent in two or three weeks time to see a few of the later flowering Orchids. I guess I am getting towards the end of the easy orchid targets and with each one ticked off the challenge will get even harder.


It is perhaps worth recording our thanks to Kent Wildlife Trust and to all their volunteers. I always feel a twinge of guilt when I turn up, benefit from someone else's hard work, and then disappear without making any contribution. I console myself with the thought that Sussex Wildlife Trust benefits from my support instead!

Juvenile Woodcock

A short blog but for me a great record.

A juvenile Woodcock found on a rutted track, in Rewell Wood, whilst we were searching for the Pearl-bordered Fritillary. It couldn't fly and was unable climb out of the ruts and back into the undergrowth. A helping hand from Dave and it disappeared immediately. We couldn't see the mother around but it seemed to be in good shape and capable of looking after itself.

The camouflage is amazing. We were within three or four feet of the bird and had not spotted it. If it hadn't panicked and moved we would probably have walked past without seeing it.

Juvenile Woodcock

It's the best picture I have ever managed of a Woodcock. I usually only see the backend as it disappears into the distance.

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

An hour at Mill Hill NR on the 25th had got the butterfly list off to a good start with ten species recorded in just over an hour. I didn't manage to photograph them all but at least I got plenty of exercise chasing the Brimstones and Orange tips on the steep slopes.

Best finds of the day, Small Copper and Green Hairstreak. Unexpected were a couple of Wall which I had not recorded at this site before. More worrying was the lack of Grizzled Skippers, usually guaranteed at Mill Hill. Perhaps it was just too cold for them.

Dingy Skipper

Green Hairstreak

Speckled Wood

Wall

We followed this up with our annual pilgrimage to Rewell Wood to see the Pearl-bordered Fritillary. Somehow this always feels like the start of the butterflying season.

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Underwing view of the Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

We also had a supporting cast of Grizzled Skipper, a butterfly I had missed at Mill Hill, and a good number of Orange-tips. Picture below is of a female, I don't think I saw a male stationary all day.

Grizzled Skipper

Female Orange-tip

Underside of the female Orange-tip

Although Duke of Burgundy have been reported from some locations I haven't seen any on the local patch. Heyshott Down always seems to be a week in front of other sites. No Blues seen yet either.

Early Spider Orchid

I dabbled a bit with Orchid hunting last year but truth be told I have never really understood the obsessive nature of the orchid hunt. It's not like a bird, butterfly or other insect where you have to use field craft, it doesn't even move. Then today, I found myself laid out full length in the pouring rain, desperately trying to get a photograph before the wind and the rain flattened the specimen I had found. Perhaps I am beginning to understand!

Our first Orchid hunt of the year and I went home with three life ticks, Early Purple, Green-winged and Early Spider.

First stop was Lancing Ring for the Early Purple Orchids. We found a few specimens but this is a much used and abused site. A car park gives easy access and family picnics, children enjoying the area and dog walkers, have resulted in a worn and tired environment and certainly somewhere where you need to carry out a detailed inspection before you get face down on the ground to get a picture.

Next stop Anchor Bottom, a great place to visit, for most of the spring and summer, for flowers and butterflies. The Green-winged Orchids are on the north facing slope with hundreds of specimens visible. Just a pity we got caught in a cloud burst whilst we were viewing them.

Lots of purple and pink variants but we couldn't find any white.

Our last stop for the day was at Castle Hill Nature Reserve, one of the last remaining fragments of chalk downland and probably the best site in the country for the Early Spider Orchid.  Natural England reports 50,000 plants at this site, we didn't count them. There were certainly a lot visible but don't get the impression that they are easy to find. This is a small flower spike and a dull flower and is restricted to a small part of the reserve. Look for the pale green stems rather than the flower. Once you locate the right area and get your "eye in" they are all around you.

We also found Early Purple Orchids towards the top of the slopes. This was a very exposed site compared to the more sheltered Lancing Ring area and it showed in stunted growth and generally weathered specimens. However, find a fresh growth or sheltered spot and there were some delightful orchids waiting to be photographed.

The challenge of the orchid hunt is not so much in the finding of the plant on the day as in the research in working out when and where to look. I think I might be adding a few more to the list this year.