More orchids

Since returning from Russia, my birding has been limited to the Great Knot twitch and the odd bits and bobs seen while on forays for non-avian targets - results have not really advanced much beyond the odd Yellow-legged Gull and Spoonbill.

Flowers, on the other hand, continue to be a source of inspiration for excursions in what has been a very pleasantly warm and settled July so far. That said, the morning I traipsed round Holkham looking for Creeping Lady's-tresses was frankly miserable - damp, dreary and definitely depressing, at least until I stumbled upon my quarry. Which were fantastic!

Creeping Lady's-tresses: most just opening up, but this one already looking great

This week on what was a very warm Monday, I popped down to a Surrey reserve not too far from me for Narrow-lipped Helleborine, another news species for my burgeoning 'orchid list' (if I kept such a thing). Given it's a small site and many of the orchids are caged, it didn't take long to locate them. This species is about the only thing going in the darkness of the beechwood understory, and photographing them in low light is actually quite difficult with such slow shutter speeds on the macro lens - especially if there's a light breeze blowing the plants about, as there was that morning. As such I improvised by using the torch on my iPhone to illuminate the plants, naturally giving better lighting and improved shutter speed.

Narrow-lipped Helleborine in all its glory

In an open area nearby, Broad-leaved Helleborines were looking spectacular - not quite at their best (which will come in the next week or so), but impressive nonetheless. Many were approaching peak condition and a number of the plants were impressively altitudinous; one particularly regal and imposing specimen must have been at least a metre tall.

Broad-leaved Helleborine in fine fettle

It's getting towards the end of the orchid season now but I've had some most enjoyable mornings out this spring and summer, visiting many sites I'd not been previously (and would probably never visit anyway). With plenty more targets for next year (plus some species revisited, no doubt), there's still no shortage of stuff to go at.

More images at my Flickr page: flickr.com/jrmjones

Barnack Hills & Holes

This is such a cool place for plants and insects and is just a few miles from where I grew up in south Lincolnshire. I remember being taken here as a little kid by my parents and seeing Marbled Whites, burnet moths etc - though it's only in recent years that I've realised what a great site it is for plants too.

I visited on Sunday - it was breezy but bright and warm. Plenty of Green Hairstreaks and one or two Dingy Skippers were the best of the butterflies. The Pasqueflowers were mainly over but some were still looking decent, with much the same applying for the Early Purple Orchids - photos of both (with my wide angle) below.

Early Purple Orchid

Pasqueflowers - a little over but some still looking nice

Sadly I couldn't find Man Orchid in the hour or so that I had spare. Having said that, I really need to buy a macro lens before I start seeing all these things!

Mid-June orchids

Early Marsh Orchid

Common Spotted Orchid...

... and close-up (note fly!)

Kenfig NNR is a great place to see orchids, if you're that way inclined. Following the impressive carpet of hundreds of Early Purple and Green-winged Orchids I saw here back in May, it was nice to see plenty of Common Spotted, and Southern Marsh and Early Marsh Orchids over the weekend. The reddish-purple form of the latter was particularly impressive. Pyramidal Orchids were also just starting to come out; later in the season there can be thousands of them - there certainly were last year! While in hindsight I think I also saw a few Fragrant Orchids, I wouldn't like to say for sure. In addition, there were plenty of flowers I simply couldn't identify - I never realised orchids hybridized so readily, I guess that explains things!

 Next year I'll have to get clued up before I visit.