Dithering is something I now seem quite good at. It is not that I do not want to go to other
places and see other things but a part of me just can’t be bothered to drive
anywhere which is a little odd.
It was set fair and hot again today so I somehow persuaded myself
to head out into the Kentish countryside on a half hearted Orchid Hunt. As it was I managed to squeeze in far more
than I was expecting.
I was at Park Gate Down at just after nine and I had the
place entirely to myself. I had only
seen one Monkey Orchid before and that was at the very end of the season a few
years back whereas it is now the species at its most showy here. I had found a few scattered spikes within
just a few minutes and I reckon I saw about 30 as I ambled the track through
the Buttercup and Cowslip strewn slopes.
There are not the most elegant of orchid having a slightly squash topped
look but the individual flowers are wondrously freaky when seen close up.
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Monkey Orchids
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Twayblades were abundant and the lower down you got the more
you could see and there were the odd faded Early Purple Orchid and the
startings of one or two Common Spotted along with a lone proud Lady. The Columbines were flowering well at the top
of the slope and all bar one were still in the shade.
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Common Twayblade
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Common Spotted Orchid
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Lady Orchid
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Early Purple Orchid
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Sald Burnet
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| Columbine |
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| Cowslips |
A Firecrest was singing proudly from the firs and a fine
male Hawfinch flew over calling was an unexpected gift! I later heard him singing from into the
trees. There were little bursts of
Nightingale and Garden Warblers, Blackcaps and Robins were getting in some
morning practice before the temperature got too high.
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But I only got a picture of this male Dunnock
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There were a few bees around including Early and Red-tailed
Bumbles and a single Andrena nitida as well as hunting Empis tessellata and
lots of bumbling Cantharis rustica.
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| Cantharis rustica |
Small Heaths, Green Hairstreaks, Dingy Skippers and Burnet Companions flitted
around and several glowing Brimstones dash across the meadows.
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| Dingy Skipper |
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| Burnet Companion |
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| Green Hairstreak |
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Leptarthrus brevirostris - a Robberfly
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It was already very warm so I retraced my steps and could
hear Yellowhammer and Whitethroat in the adjacent meadow where some horses peacefully
grazed.
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Slightly more X-rated than I realised at the time...
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Just back up the lane I could smell the Ramsons in the
roadside wood and walked up there for the purpose of collecting some leaves and
to look for Portevinia maculata, the Hoverfly that is tied only to this species.
I soon found several males along with a small spiky Tachinid and lots of Nomad
Bees that defied closer scrutiny. The smell was devine.
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| Ramsons |
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| Portevinia maculata |
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| Portevinia maculata |
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Portevinia maculata - all males
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Tachina fera
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Tachinid sp
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I was slightly lost in a Garlic haze when a Golden Oriole
quite clearly sang from the Oak canopy. It did it several more times in the
course of a minute at which point I tried to record it. It never made another sound and although I
would have loved to have captured the moment it still left me beaming in the
same way that my invisible April Bee-eater did at Rainham.
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A huge Cockchafer
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Wood Sorrel
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| Bluebells |
The car was a sweat box when I got back to it and my Dark
KitKat had changed state and moved from solid to liquid. I left it wrapped and
hoped that it would not escape its wrapper.
I plotted my route to Wye Down next and the twisty route
took me through some tiny lanes with big views of Buttercup covered
pastures. The whole area feels a world
away from a county crisscrossed with motorways and other main roads and I
wonder what else is to be found in these hidden corners and valleys.
I parked up at Wye and was quickly at the spot where the
Late Spider Orchids are to be found. Most were snugly in their little metal
cages and not every plant had a flower open yet and those that did only had one
apiece.
No two were alike and I had to check when I got home that
all were LSO and not Bee Orchid but please feel free to correct me if I have
made a mistake.
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| Late Spider Orchids |
There were plenty of other botanical delights with
Houndstongue, Fairy Flax, Bird’s-foot Trefoil and Salad Burnet and as I
sat back in my car having a coffee a pair of Turtle Doves flew in and he started purring before they moved off
to a more secluded spot.
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| Houndstongue |
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| Milkwort |
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| Fairy Flax |
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| Crosswort |
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Bird's Foot Trefoil
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| Koniks |
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Germander Speedwell
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Back to Google Maps and run back up north to the little car
park for Denge and Penny Pot Woods and Bonsai Bank. This is where I have been with Nicole and Jason
before and I spent the next couple of hours walking the paths like before and
encountering a wealth of showy Orchids to get up close to and pap merrily!
The Lady Orchids were magnificent as usual and I was pleased
to fine a large fully white one and amongst the numerous Greater Butterfly
Orchids there were two fully open ones showing the splayed pollenia. The Lesser BO that we found last year was not
up.
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Lady Orchids
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| Greater Butterfly & Lady Orchid |
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Greater Butterfly Orchids
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There were Twayblades by the dozen and a few Fly Orchids
along the edges where the first Common Spotteds were just opening.
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Common Spotted Orchid
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| Fly Orchid |
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| Fly Orchid |
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| Fly Orchid |
At Bonsai there were quite a few White Helleborine and one had
a fully open flower which was great while most only had the smallest of openings.
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| White Helleborines |
I only saw one Duke of Burgundy zipping around along with a
few Dingy Skippers and Green Hairstreaks and loads of unknown micro moths (sorry Antony) but I did
see a black with white spots one that I should know but I have had to pester
Antony on his hols in Yorkshire for an answer!
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| Green Hairstreak |
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| Dingy Skipper |
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Common White Wave
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Anania funebris
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male Evarcha falcata - he was 'engaged' with a robust female when I found him
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There were Osmia bicolor visiting Trefoil and searching the
ground, presumably for empty snail shells.
They seldom stay still and I have yet to get one in focus! Wood Ants criss-crossed the path and Green Tiger Beetles enagaed in their usual race-fly-land-race hunting strategy.
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| Green Tiger Beetle |
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| Green Tiger Beetle |
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Osmia bicolor and a shell!
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There was a brief snatch of Nightingale and a couple of
Garden Warblers were engaged in a babble-off while another singing Firecrest
was not overly surprising. Families of Marsh
Tit and Long-tailed Tit moved along the rides and a Red Kite drifted through.
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Red Kite
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Green Hairstreaks flashed metallic in the sunshine but
disappeared just as easily and there were Common Blues and Brown Argus on the
Buttercups.
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| Brown Argus |
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| Green Hairstreak |
With time getting on I made my way back to the car startling
a melanistic doe Fallow Deer from the path which was a pity as it would have
made a lovely picture.
I guzzled my water and set off once again on a wiggly route
that brought me out at the termination of the M2 roundabout before a blat back
down to the Sheppey junction for a final stop of the day at Steps Hill Wood
where a very kind couple from Berkshire at Bonsai had shown me where to find
the Lesser Butterfly Orchids.
My second lovely couple (these ones on a day trip from the
Isle of Wight!) escorted me round the narrow site until we reached the four
spires of graceful LBO complete with their parallel pollenia.
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| Lesser Butterfly Orchids |
There were Lady Orchids dotted all around, along with
Twayblades and the makings of dozens of Broad-leaved Helleborines and although
the Early Purple Orchids under the trees were largely over there were still
some lovely bright specimens and the remnants to two incredibly tall white flowered
specimens. There were several Columbine
clumps and the start of Nettle-leaved Bellflower.
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Lady Orchids
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| Lady Orchid |
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| Broad-leaved Helleborine |
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| Broad-leaved Helleborine |
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Huge Early Purple Orchid
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| Remains of white Early Purple Orchid |
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Common Gromwell
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Nettle-leaved Bellflower
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| Columbine |
The IoW couple showed me where there was a profusion of Man
Orchids alongside the verge of the A259 where the sat amongst one of the
horizontal Cotoneasters. A lone Lizard
Orchid is said to be there but we could not find it but I was just as happy
with a couple more Osmia bicolor and a vivid Crimson Clover.
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| Man
Orchids |
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Crimson Clover
|
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| Meadow Longhorn - Cauchas rufimitrella |
From here it was a straight run home with 12 Orchid species
under the belt but I only had to pop up my garden to add one more with a look
at one of my magical budding rosettes to add what I am hoping will become a Bee
orchid before too long.
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| Hopefully a Bee Orchid in my 'lawn. |
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