www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

gary those early spiders are absolutely gorgeous ain't they.

Had a walk around my local barton common today and then down to the bunny, may is such a wonderful month with so much wild flora starting to show so well.
Along the cliffs the sea thrift just starting to go into full flower with the gorse looks a real treat and not far away on the common the bluebells and greater stitchwort are a stunning combo.

gary.

Hi all,
This little beauty has shown for the last 4 or 5 years on one of my favourite butterfly sites, on the Downs near Amberley, West Sussex. It's a very rare, un-named form of the Early Purple Orchid, close to the pure white Orchis mascula var. alba, but differentiated on the basis of the delicate purple-spotting of the labellum.
Neil

I have seen a bunch of these plants going side by side not far from my house. Anyone know what this is? Ramsons (There are loads here and you get a strong garlic smell from them):

hi dave,

walking back from an afternoon watching pearl bordered fritillarys in the wooton coppice inclosure new forest.
along the avon water, a large stream, the ramsons are now at their peak of flowering here.
also some marsh marigolds, wood spurge and yellow archangel .

gary.

Nice shots Gary, just more Orchids from me I'm afraid, White Helleborine, Birds-nest, and Common Twayblade, all taken at Danebury Hill, Hampshire.

Gruditch

good selection of orchids there gary,

and lovely pics especially the birds nest orchids, must go out and have a scout for a few local species myself this weekend.
realy good to see there is someone else on the site who appreciates these beautifully structured plants.

gary.

had a little look along the hordle undercliff today and found that the southern marsh orchids are out in flower
here they grow in amongst the thrift and kidney vetch in what is a very sunny exposed position and have to put up with salt spray and sand blasting in the strong winds, it makes them thick stemmed and robust, as opposed to the same species over in holmsley bog later in the afternoon, where they grow in acid wet soil in a sheltered meadow, the resulting plants are much softer and slender, a nice example of habitat adaptation.

gary.

After searching around crockford bottom and finding grizzled skipper, extreemly scarce down here in the forest i took a couple of pics of the heath spotted orchids which are erupting all around.

gary.

Will have to pop down the forest at the weekend.

Gruditch

This flower at Strumpshaw fooled meI had to ask for i/d from Martin George (who owns that lovely Swallowtail garden). It’s clearly a crucifer of some sort, and was a potent attractant (I wonder what had happened to that GV White?) Apparently the plant is Horse Radish and although a superb nectar source, Mr. George didn’t recommend it. These were escapes just outside his garden and are apparently an invasive weed and defy eradication. Tempting, but I think not.

The real stars in his garden are the Sweet Rocket (also known as Dame’s Violet) and were of course, covered in Painted Ladies. A bit later in the season, Sweet Williams are good. I of course recommended Bowles Mauve which he hasn’t got.

Jack

Jack, I could be wrong but that plant does look like cuckoo flower, if its not, must be related to it.

Here are some plants I got:

Round leaved Sundew (Its becoming rarer because they are only found in bogs and marshy areas and those places are slowly disappearing) its our native version of a fly trap plant:



Buttercup up close:



Anyone know what this tree is? I took a few days ago:

Dave commented:

Jack, I could be wrong but that plant does look like cuckoo flower, if its not, must be related to it.

Definitely not Cuckoo Flower with which I am familiar. The picture is perhaps confusing in that it suggests the flowers have a touch of mauve (as does Cuckoo flower) but they were in fact more or less white. Moreover, it was a much taller plant being about 60 cms tall. Anyway, it was identified by Dr. Martin George, past Chairman of The Broads Society and he certainly knows a thing or two. Horse Radish is indeed distantly related to Cuckoo Flowers (as it is to Hedge Mustard, etc) being a crucifer.

But I have to admit that while taking the photos, I could hear a Cuckoo distantly across the Fen - sadly a somewhat unusual sound nowadays. But I don't think that's what you meant Dave

Your unidentified tree must be an elm of some sort.

Jack

Your unidentified tree must be an elm of some sort.

I thought that. There used to be loads of elms here but they all got Dutch elm disease and died, good to see one is coming back. This only looks a few years old or maybe a little more.

But I have to admit that while taking the photos, I could hear a Cuckoo distantly across the Fen - sadly a somewhat unusual sound nowadays. But I don't think that's what you meant Dave

Not really, but nice to hear...Springwatch are asking people to record where they heard or saw a cuckoo: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/springwatch/ ... uckoo.html

Main interest on my walk today 30 May along the Roman Road in Cambridgeshire (TL523522) was to find several good sized (2 x 1 metres) patches of Horseshoe Vetch. I have walked this road before but never previously seen Horseshoe Vetch. It is of course the larval foodplant of the Chalkhill Blue which has to the best of my knowledge, been reported only sporadically from the Roman Road. However, reasonably nearby are colonies of CH Blue at Fleam Dyke and Devils Dyke so I would have every hope of finding the butterfly there in the appropriate season.

Picture shows Horseshoe Vetch and a possible confusion species, Bird’s Foot Trefoil (foodplant of Common Blue)Jack

Saw five species of Orchid today, Southern Marsh, Lesser Butterfly, and Heath Spotted, down the New Forest. Plus later in the day, Common Spotted, and Fragrant at Broughton Down. We also saw about half a dozen Adonis Blue at Broughton, I don't think they showed at all there last year. Lesser Butterfly-orchid Heath Spotted-orchid

Gruditch

Dropwort – closely related to the ubiquitous Meadowsweet – is a good indicator plant of mature chalk grassland.Dropwort is not rare, merely local. These examples are in Cambs growing to a height of about 60 cms.

Jack

A question for someone in the know about orchids...
Went to a site near Cambridge yesterday to see Early Marsh and Southern Marsh Orchids. There were various different-looking specimens (some with pure pink flowers - no pattern, most with patterns), but one that confused me is shown below. Is this a hybrid between either a Southern Marsh or an Early Marsh Orchid and a Common Spotted Orchid?... Note, it has spots on the leaves, unlike most of the others we saw.



Trev

Can anyone identify this orchid for me??

[/quote] Anyone know what this tree is? I took a few days ago:

Dave, - I think it is Wych Elm, Ulmus glabra, the WLHs go for that one in particular here in the North of England

hi trevor and paul,

trevor the orchid you have pictured looks very much to be a common spotted -southern marsh hybrid, they are very variable and usually robust in my experience. the orchid that you have paul is of the genus orchis but what species i could not say . its not a british species that i recognise, and does appear to be in a garden setting. were and when was it taken?

gary.