15th June- Noar Hill, Hampshire

Today I was concentrating on the summer stuff with a visit to Noar Hill, which is just around the corner for me.  Last time I was here it was to look for the Frog Orchids and I was surprised to find the Duke of Burgundy butterflies still about.  Then the reserve was covered in cowslips, no doubt today it will look a lot different.

It was a cloudy start, but as I was looking for orchids that wasn't a problem, but by the time I arrived there were pockets of blue sky and some sunshine which had warmed things up.  As I walked into the first chalk pit I was taken by the number of Common Spotted Orchids.  They seemed to be everywhere amongst the grass with a few small buds of Pyramidal Orchids amongst them.

True to its name, it is both common and has clearly spotted leaves.  The flowers form a pyramidal spike and are various shades of pink and violet, and often very pale as can be seen in the one above.

The lateral sepals are asymmetrical and held horizontally, patterned with lines and spots.  The lip is decorated with dark lines and loops and is divided into three lobes with a longer and more triangular central lobe.  The green leaves are marked with solid dark spots all over.

The orchid does not produce nectar but is pollinated by insects who are duped into thinking there is by the mildly scented flowers.

Rather than present a story of the walk around the reserve I will focus on the plants I have photographed and then on anything else I saw of interest.

The Pyramidal Orchids were quite small, but there were several larger specimens amongst them.

The densely packed, pyramid-shaped spikes of deep pink flowers make this orchid easy to see and identify.  They are quite common found on the calcareous bedrock.  As the flowers open the shape of the spike changes from a pyramid to a globe.

Each flower has one sepal and both petals that form a hood over a broad, deeply three-lobed lip and long, thread like spur.  The orchid is pollinated by both day and night flying insects.  During daylight hours the vivid colour of the petals attracts the insects and then by night it has an increasingly strong, sweet and musky scent that lures night-flying moths.  A sugary sap is contained within the walls of the spur which only an insect with a long proboscis can access.

Locally common across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight it grows on well drained grassland on chalk or limestone.  It has the ability to rapidly recolonise new grassland and abandoned pasture including road verges and disused railway lines.

Whilst the Common Spotted was probably the most numerous orchid amongst the reserve, the Chalk Fragrant was not far behind.  I do not recall seeing so many and this was remarked on by other visitors.

The photographs do not show well the prolific amount of orchids spread through the grass land.

The Chalk Fragrant:

This delicate and very pretty orchid has a long, tall flower spike that varies in colour from shades of pink to a reddish deep purple and sometimes at the other end, white.  Each flower has two lateral sepals spread out horizontally with a "rolled-up" appearance and a flat three lobed lip that lacks "shoulders" with a long slender, down curved spur which is filled with nectar.

Here the long, tall spike.  As its name suggests this orchid grows in rich chalk grassland.  It favours dry and open locations such as chalk pits and downland.  It once grew in large colonies but as downs and pastures were turned over to farmland this is a less occurrence.  This reserve is testament to benefit of providing the opportunity for this orchid to flourish

The 20 - 50mflowers emit a spicy scent with a hint of carnation which attracts both day and night moths and butterflies.  The scent can sometimes be considered a rather rancid smell, but getting close you can definitely smell this orchid.

The Chalk Fragrant was known as the Common Fragrant Orchid, but since 1997, using new molecular and genetic data the fragrant orchid has been separated into three distinct species Chalk, Marsh and Heath Fragrant.

Amongst the Common Spotted and Fragrant orchids but by now showing signs of going past their best were the Common Twayblade.  This orchid gets its name from the pair of large oval leaves at the base of the stem.  It is derived from the the leaves looking like "Twin Blades"

The petals of this orchid form a hood-like structure which is green with some purple patterning.  A long green, strap like lip hangs downwards and divides into two and holds a channel of nectar that acts like a landing strip for visiting insects.  Attracted by the musk like scent they crawl up the lip following the nectar channel and the pollinia becomes stuck on the insects body by the sudden release of a drop of sticky liquid which the insect triggers.  This is a highly efficient method of pollination and most flowers will set seeds.

The orchid I was here to find though was a lot smaller than those I had already found.  They are one of those orchids that once you see them you find many more.  I made my way to the location where they had been last year and quickly found a group.

This is the Musk Orchid, the stem is yellowish green to dark green and is ridged towards the top.  The tiny angular, bell like flowers are tightly clustered on the spike, with 20 - 30 small flowers on most plants

Each flower is entirely greenish-yellow with a three lobed lip which is hardly separated from the rest of the flower and the sepals and petals form a loose tapering hood.  The flowers do not open widely but have a subtle scent of musk or honey.  They are pollinated by a variety of small insects which crawl into the flowers and unwittingly pick up the sticky pollinia

It is found on short well drained grassland on chalk or limestone.  Because it is a small plant it can't compete with taller vegetation.  It has been lost from 70% of its historical range mostly due to agricultural 'improvements' and the ploughing of chalk grassland.  It is also vulnerable to drought conditions and a hot dry summer can cause a dramatic fall in the number of flowers the next year.  Here today there were a few, but not as many as seen last year.

With the Musk orchid found I decided to have a look around this area as this was where the Fly Orchids were earlier in the spring.  I was quite surprised to find one spike with two good flowers.

This is a very distinctive orchid and a fascinating example of insect mimicry among British orchids.  The tall slender spike have well spaced flowers which resemble a group of flies sitting on the stem

The folded dark purple lip resembles an insect's hairy body and at the base of the lip there are two glistening eyes.  The slate blue band across the centre forms the speculum and shines like folded wings.  The column forms the insect's head, while there are two small brown petals that are the insect's antennae.

I then found another one, but the flowers were a little worn now.  The orchid does not produce nectar but it does release a scent that mimics a female wasp's sexual pheromones.  This scent and the shape and velvety texture of the flowers prove irresistible to male digger wasps which attempt to mate with the flowers and inadvertently help to pollinate the plant.

Although slightly moving over a good view of the amazing mimicry.

The Fly Orchid is found at the edge of Beech woodlands and chalk scrub on chalk and limestone soils.

This orchid is red listed, considered vulnerable and on the \\\\biodiversity action plan UK list of priority species.

So a pretty impressive list of six orchid species on the reserve at this time of year.  As well as the orchids there were other plants of interest.  These two stood out.

The Knapweed Broomrape:  A stout, upright plant growing up to 75cm high with a long spike of honey-coloured (usually tinged purple) flowers. The flowers are tubular, curving from upwards to outwards like ship ventilators.  Knapweed Broomrape totally lacks chlorophyll and cannot photosynthesis itself, it is totally dependent upon its exclusive parasitic host, Greater Knapweed for nutrition. It's host may be several metres away, connected by the underground root systems, but always on calcareous soils.

This caught my eye, the Clustered Bellflower, a member of the Campanula family and similar to those I have in my garden.

This was a small moth, called the Orange Conch, it was the colour that caught my eye.  A brightly coloured Tortrix moth, having golden-yellow forewings with metallic blue markings.  It is rather scarce in Britain, occurring locally in the southern half of England.

The moths fly from May to July, and the larvae live from September throughout the winter, feeding in the roots of ragwort

Then some more moths and butterflies that are a little more well known.

The Small Heath:

At last some acceptable shots of the Meadow Brown.

A Cinnabar moth.

Large Skipper:

A bit of a surprise a rather worn Small Blue.

And last but not least a Painted Lady that was on the path just before the gate to the reserve.

The orchids were stunning and photographs will never do them justice, a lovely three hours to enjoy all that is good about Noar Hill.

12th May - Broxhead Common and Noar Hill

I was keen to find a Tree Pipit today, and with not too much time I decided to try Broxhead Common, only a short twenty minute drive from home, after that it was a nother short drive to Noar Hill for something special.

I walked on to the heath with a Chiffchaff singing amongst the birch trees.  A bird at the top of a dead tree turned out to be a Stonechat, but as I walked around the gorse I heard a Dartford Warbler singing.  The Dartford Warbler moved amongst the gorse and eventually showed, and it showed very well.

Light was difficult but the Dartford stayed in close range.

Great views of the male above the gorse.

I walked around the paths and heard a Tree Pipit singing in the distance.  As I walked around the pond I flushed a Woodlark from the ground, it was joined by another and flew up to the overhead cables.

This view showing off the very long hind claws.

I managed to get a long distance view of a singing Tree Pipit, but couldn't get close enough for an acceptable photograph.  Deciding to walk on as I approached where I had parked the car I disturbed two Small Heath butterflies, a first for the year.

Next stop was another twenty minute drive to Noar Hill.  As I walked on to the reserve it was in glorious sunshine, the reserve sheltered from the cool wind.  I walked into the first chalk pit and found a Duke of Burgundy.

Having seen the dukes earlier in spring, what I was hoping to find was a Dingy Skipper and it didn't take long to find one in the same pit.

Perched oon the Cowslips that are now just going over.

There were still a lot of Early Purple Orchids in bloom, and it was orchids I was over, but not these ones.

Walking through the other pits I disturbed a Holly Blue and then a couple of Common Blues, another first butterfly for the year.  Here the two unusually sitting together in the sunshine.

Another Duke of Burgundy, in total I saw twelve all around the reserve, a very good number at this time of year considering they emerged early in April.  Most of them were males and in quite good condition.

A Painted Lady flew through, of course not stopping, there were also Brimstone and Orange Tip on the wing.  I came by a couple of Juniper bushes and on a Hazel close by were three Green Hairstreak, all immaculate.

I was looking for a particular orchid and headed to the area where I had seen them last year.  I had heard they were showing and again like everything this year they were early, maybe two weeks early.  As I searched the area I found this Common Twayblade, with petals just starting to show.

It took a few sweeps but eventually I found a short flower stem of a Fly Orchid.

The fly orchid has a tall, green spike growing from shiny, oval leaves. The flowers are well spaced and resemble flies. They're dark reddish-brown, with a shiny silver-blue patch in the middle that looks like a pair of wings - they even seem to have tiny antennae!

Fly orchids grow in chalk and limestone soils, from woodland glades and rides to open grassland. They can also be found in quarries, on roadside banks, and sometimes in fens. The flowers that grow from their tall, green spikes in late spring resemble flies.

Despite the flowers looking like flies, they actually attract digger wasps. They release a scent which mimics a female wasp's pheromones, luring in males that attempt to mate with them. The male wasps get a dusting of pollen, which they carry on to the next flower that fools them, hopefully pollinating the plant.

After some more searching I found a spike that was yet to flower.

No doubt there will be more over the next few days and weeks, last year I found a white form of this orchid, so maybe we will see one this year.

Walking on it was back to the butterflies and more Dukes and this Orange Tip that actually stopped and I was able to get a different angle on the butterfly.

Then down the main path this Holly Brown on the meadow sweet with a lovely dark background.

As I walked out of the reserve to the car I heard a Raven calling close by and it then came out over the fields.

Success in getting the targets I went for although a shame I couldn't get a photograph of the tree Pipit, Orchids are now back, three species seen today, some lovely butterflies including a good count of Dukes for the time of year and a great Dartford experience.