An early start to avoid the heat, temperatures over the last few days have been in the thirties with yesterday recording the warmest ever May day at 34.8 degrees, crazy! I have been wanting to visit Chappett's Copse just outside West Meon recently. The drive is strenuous, not due to the distance but the narrow road. Time wise it is just around the corner from me. I arrived a little before 8:00 am and it was already hot. There was no breeze in the copse as I walked the main path, the sunshine dappled through the leaves. A Firecrest was flitting about in the lower branches singing as it went.
But I wasn't here for birds I was here for the special Orchids found in this wood that is managed by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife trust. Having been before I had a good idea where to look and quickly found a group of Narrow-leaved or Sword Leaved Helleborines.
The Narrow-leaved Helleborine is quite a regal plant with elegant long leaves that alternate up the stem of the plant towards a then leafless spire of pretty pure white bell shaped flowers.
Each flower has pointed sepals and opens just enough to show a golden patch on a heart shaped lip.
Looking around I also managed to find a very worn Bird's Nest Orchid. By its condition it looks like we have missed the peak flowering time. Hopefully we will be able to find some more.
I made my way back to the car to meet Ian and then we returned. After showing him the first patch I had found we walked on and came across a lot more. The other rare Helleborine found here is the White Helleborine. Unlike the Narrow-leaved Helleborine this one has broad spear like leaves that become shorter and narrower as the reach the top of the stem.The blooms are egg shaped and do not often fully open, so at first glance it doesn't look much like an orchid at all.
It is the barely visible yellow orange lip that gives rise to the plant's folk name, "poached egg plant.
The White Helleborine is mostly self pollinating. It takes about eight years to develop from seed and then flowering can take an additional two to three years. It is found in beech woodland on chalky soils and is a shade loving species. It is one of the more commoner Helleborines and we could find several growing well away from the main clumps.
It is the Narrow-leaved Helleborine that the reserve is known for and there were plenty of these.
The Alternative name, Sword-leaved Helleborine comes from the narrow stiff leaves. The flowers do not have any scent and rely bees and wasps for pollination.
Found in Beech woodlands often with an open canopy but they are found in shady conditions too. Here at Chappets the sunshine would filter through and pick out the flowers on the woodland floor.
We did find some more Bird's Nest Orchids, but whilst not as far gone as the first one they were still way past their best.
The honey brown flower spikes are unique among wild British Orchids. Most of the flowers are clustered together towards the tip of the stem. Typical of an orchid flower (although you can't see it here) the petals and sepals form a loose hood and the lip vaguely resembles a human torso. The flowers are dominated by the large darker lip which has outward hanging lobes and a nectar producing depression. The nectar has a sweet smell similar to honey and the orchid is pollinated by insects attracted to the smell.
The orchid is sustained by a living fungus, forming a relationship with fungi that are simultaneously in partnership with surrounding trees. The name "Bird's Nest comes from the ball of roots that are said to resemble a bird's nest.
Having managed to find all we had hoped for, a little disappointed with the Bird's Nest, but then every years seems to be different these years, we moved on to Old Winchester Hill.
Walking from the car park you are always greeted by the amazing view out across the fields towards the hill fort.
There were very few flowers in the grass areas, but there were Common Blues, in fact on the walk we counted twenty four Common Blues.
There were Dog Rose flowers and the bramble was just beginning to emerge which was an attraction for the Brimstone that are just about to finish their firs brood.
This area has always been good for Small Tortoiseshell over the last few years and one appeared on the bramble. Numbers of this butterfly have seemed to reduce significantly so it was good to find this one.
Although it refused to sit with wings open.
On Saturday at Martin Down Painted Ladies were attracted to the Dog Rose flowers and it was the same here with at least three on the flowers.
A Small Heath sat on one of the bramble leaves.
Blackcaps and Whitethroats were singing from the bushes. This female was carrying food so there must be a nest close by.
We walked down to the lower slope where it was a little cooler and then up on to the hill fort where the breeze took the edge off the temperature and it was much more comfortable. As always the view was stunning.
A Red Kite drifted below us.
It was very strange to hear and see Mediterranean Gulls fly past, when we drove up they were hawking insects over the fields. Here they were flycatching in front of us. I don't know what is more impressive a Hobby catching insects with its feet of these Mediterranean Gull catching them with their beaks.
These are probably non breeding birds, although they are not showing the black tips of the third calendar birds. Numbers gather around here in June and this I probably the start of that. I hear them over my house every summer.
A lone male Kestrel flew past contrasted against the dark green of the field below.
We walked around the hill fort and then back along the slope. A surprise butterfly wise was a couple of Small Copper.
Coming down the slope to the Woodpecker Wood we found some more orchids, not very big and these were the only ones. These are Spotted Orchids and are so difficult to pin down. The consensus was that this was probably a Common Spotted.
And this one too, but it could also be a Heath
We were a lot more confident with this one, a Chalk Fragrant Orchid.
There were Dingy Skipper on the slope to add to the day's total and in the wood Speckled Wood. Coming out of the wood we expected more butterflies, but there were hardly any, maybe just too hot now? The path now was up hill all the way, it was hot and the legs were struggling.
Back at the car park I decided it was too hot for me now so I headed home. A successful day with the orchids, but a little disappointing with the butterflies, a total of eleven species being seen
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