14th June - Broxhead Common, Noar Hill and Beacon Hill, Hampshire

I was meeting Ian at Broxhead Common, an area of heathland in the north east of Hampshire.  The common is a special spot for one particular blue butterfly, the Silver-studded Blue.  I was a little early, for once it isn't too far for me to drive from home.  I wandered out to the heather and immediately found the Silver-studded Blues.  You would see one then others would start to appear, then more and more.  Last year they were hard to find, this year they just kept on appearing, the last time I had experienced this many was years ago on at Beaulieu Heath.

Ian arrived and I walked back to meet him, then we both headed out to the heather and came across a mating pair.  The male looked quite worn and the male attacking the pair was in a much better state.

The inter loper moved away and the pair resumed mating.

We walked off coming across plenty of blues, a female.

And a smart male.

We were walking around the heath hoping to find the Nightjar we had seen last year.  There were two Woodlark overhead and a Great Spotted Woodpecker family.  A Tree Pipit was singing in a small birch tree and gave some great views.

An interesting yellow moth was seen in amongst the heather.  Locally it is fairly common throughout much of Britain, this species inhabits heathland and similar rough habitats.  The males, which are larger and more brightly coloured than the females, are often active during the day. The females are more docile and mainly nocturnal.  The moths fly in June and July, and the slow-feeding larvae feed on heather (Calluna) and various herbaceous plants.

It was back to the Silver-studded Blues.

another pair mating, showing the differences in the male and female, the male on the left hand side.

This delightful blue butterfly is named for the small silver studs on the black markings on the underwing of the hind wing.

The male and female pair separated.

We left Broxhead and took the short journey to Noar Hill, just outside Selbourne.  At this time of year the reserve is covered in orchids, they have replaced the multitude of Cowslips that were all over the reserve in late April and early May.

Walking around the first chalk pit there were some nice Pyramidal Orchids flowering.

The most dominant orchid across the reserve though was the Chalk Fragrant Orchid, pink colour without the markings of the Spotted Orchids.

In amongst the colourful orchids were the Common Twayblade, the flowers having the split feathers and an all green colour for the flower.

It was an overcast day and there were few butterflies about, but this one male Marbled White showed well.

The underwing is just as spectacular.

In amongst the Fragrant, Spotted and Pyramidal orchids were the smaller Musk Orchids.  Like the Twayblade they are all green, but much smaller and have a distinct musky scent.

The tall one is small the smaller even more so.

Common Spotted and Chalk Fragrant Orchid side by side.

The Chalk Fragrant Orchid.

Chalk Fragrant Orchids amongst the grass and flowers.

The Common Twayblade.

We were looking for Frog Orchid, Ian had two sets of coordinates and we searched areas of Noar Hill we had not been to before.  In doing so we came across a few Small Blue Butterflies.

We didn't have any luck with the Frog Orchids, maybe still too early?  But we were able to enjoy the fine collection of Spotted and Fragrant Orchids.  Here Common Spotted Orchid.

Chalk Fragrant Orchid

An all white Spotted Orchid!

Heath Spotted Orchid, the spots on the spotted are joined together.

We came across another group of Musk Orchids.

They are initially hard to find amongst the grass but once your eye is in they are quite easy to find.

We had one more orchid to find today and this took us to Beacon Hill, just outside Warnford.  After encountering a large running event we walked across the slope to the location where last year we had found Man Orchid.  As we reached the area we found a section fenced off with an electric fence.  We were able to step over ht fence and after a brief search we found one Man Orchid.

the spike is about 6 inches high and the flower petals look like a body and legs.

Up close they are quiet a detailed orchid.

The view from Beacon Hill looking north, it was now quite a beautiful day.

Walking back up the hill, and back to the car an orange butterfly flew past us and settled on the ground in front of us.  It was a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly, a species that has been quite rare recently, but this year seems to have been a little more common.

This used to be an overlooked butterfly, but with its rarity over the last few years it is good to take the time to appreciate its beauty.

Overall a successful day, with eight orchid species.  We missed out on Frog Orchid, but may have another chance later this week.

15th June - Portsdown Hill, Beacon Hill & Chappetts Copse, Hampshire

Saturday morning was a wake up call, overcast, strong winds and sporadic rain.  A long way from the blue skies and warm temperatures we had left behind in Sicily the day before.  I had arranged to meet Ian at the top of Portsdown Hill, today was to be about Orchids and hopefully butterflies but the latter was not going to be easy.  As I sat in the car, parked in the lay by the rain became heavy, the wind rocking the car and the rain thumping on the windscreen and roof.  When Ian arrived he joined me in the car and we chatted until the rain eased and there was signs of blue sky away to the west.

Leaving the car we were joined by a Kestrel using the up draught from the hill to hover over the grass area.

We walked down the hill and through the grassy paths, as I said we were here to look for orchids, and some special ones at that.  Along side the paths there were Pyramidal Orchids in bloom.  The pyramidal orchid lives up to its name - look for a bright pinky-purple, densely packed pyramid of flowers atop a green stem. 

Eventually the path took us to a grassy area that was below the chalk cliffs of Portsdown Hill and in amongst the tall grass was the orchid we were looking, the Lizard Orchid.  I have seen these before, but in the Dordogne area of France, this was the first time I had seen one in this country.

The Lizard Orchid grows on calcareous soils and likes sunny positions on the edges of open woodland and on roadside verges. This orchid also grows in dry meadows, rocky areas, and open woods.

The long, tail-like lip is usually spiralled and dotted with pink or purple in the centre. Lizard Orchid’s flowers have a rather foul smell, said to be similar to the smell of goats.

Lizard Orchid is usually rare in the UK but in the right location it can be found in great numbers. It grows up to a metre in height but can nonetheless be difficult to spot when growing in long grass on roadside verges.

The scientific name (Himantoglossum) derives from the Greek for ‘strap-tongue’ Hircinum is Latin for ‘goat-like’, and refers to the strong, foul smell of the flowers.  In most European languages it is known as ‘(Billy or male) goat orchid’.

The Lizard Orchid is pollinated by insects particularly bees.

In the same area as the Lizard Orchids were several Bee Orchids.  These were looking particularly superb with most of the flower heads in perfect condition.

The Bee Orchid is a sneaky mimic - the flower’s velvety lip looks like a female bee. Males fly in to try to mate with it and end up pollinating the flower. Sadly, the right bee species doesn’t live here in the UK, so the UK Bee Orchids have to rely on self-pollination.

A small orchid, the bee orchid has a rosette of leaves at ground level and two leaves that grow up the stem as a sheath. The stem displays a number of relatively large flowers with pink sepals that look like wings, and furry, brown lips that have yellow markings on, just like a bee.

A drop of water left over from the rain was clinging to the velvet like abdomen of the "bee".

As well as these two special orchids there were others, the Common Spotted Orchid.

Despite the overcast conditions a Marbled White flew past us, but didn't stop, a first for the year.  But then Ian found one settled on the top of a Pyramidal Orchid.

A newly emerged male, sitting out the cool conditions.

We climbed up the side of the cliff, it looks quite dramatic close up.

At the top of the cliff we walked through loads of daisies and Common Spotted Orchids.

Despite the overcast conditions, the sea around Portchester Fort looked distinctly Mediterranean.

We disturbed a group of Ravens that were feeding on a dead rabbit, they took off and flew around us using the wind to not go away too far.

From Portsdown Hill our next destination was to be Beacon Hill.  We had been here for the first time earlier in the spring, and I an had visited in the week and found Man Orchids.  He was happy to return so I could see them.

We walked around the hill, taking in the wonderful view on what was now a lovely morning.

After reaching the area we eventually found a single Man Orchid, a spike about 20 centimetres tall alongside a small Blackthorn bush.

The Man Orchid takes its name from the appearance of its hooded flowers, with dangling appendages that look like a head and limbs. It grows from tubers, does not always flower annually and is now a rare sight in the UK.

This is an orchid of short alkaline grasslands and is most often found growing full sun or mid-shade, but the Man Orchid is also found occasionally along the edges of open woodland and in scrubby areas.

As I have written the name Man Orchid refers to the human shaped lip of the flower which, together with the sepals and petals which form a hood above the lip, gives the flower a strong resemblance to a small human figure. The plants grow to around 40cm tall and there are 5-10 basal leaves which are unmarked but clearly veined. The colour of the flowers varies from greenish-bronze to pale yellow and they are usually marked with bronze.

I am a sucker for a tree on the horizon.

The side of the slope was covered in Chalk Fragrant Orchids.

This we considered is a Heath Fragrant Orchid.

A superb Common Spotted Orchid.

Another Chalk Fragrant.

A close up of the petals.

Walking back to the cars, the slopes were covered with daisies and buttercups.  Back in April it was Cowslips.

Our final stop of the day was Chappetts Copse just outside West Meon.  This is a reserve managed by the Hants and IOW Wildlife Trust and consists of ancient woodland.

We were here for more orchids, this time Helleborines.  Unfortunately the two orchids we hoped for, Frog and Bird's Nest were now past there best, but this didn't stop us looking for them.

In the dark conditions under the Beech canopy Ian pointed out a White Helleborine.

White Helleborine is a slow-growing orchid that grows under Beech trees. It has angular ribbed stems and ribbed leaves. Its small flowers are creamy-white and elongated with a curved tip, borne in spikes. On opening, the flowers show a yellow lip, which gives rise to the alternative common name of 'poached egg plant'. However, the flowers do not always fully open, as the plant relies mainly on self-pollination.

There are two other Helleborines here, the most numerous being the Sword-leaved Helleborine.  There are getting to the end of their flowering period, but there were still a few showing flowers.

The Sword-leaved Helleborine grows to about 40 cm in height and is distinguished from the Broad-leaved Helleborine by the shape of its leaves, which are long and narrow. Both the Latin namelongifolia which means long-leaved and the English common name 'sword-leaved' refer to the distinctive shape of the leaves.

Although generally associated (in the UK, that is) with the chalk-rich habitats of southern England, the Sword-leaved Helleborine also occurs in western Scotland, in a few sites in Ireland and on the western fringes of Mid and North Wales. This species is in steep decline both in the UK and throughout mainland Europe, where it is widespread but nowhere very common.

Not far from the Sword-leaved Helleborines were the similar Broad-leaved Helleborine.  These are not quite flowering just yet so we had to make do with the flower heads and the broad leaves for identification.

The Broad-leaved Helleborine is a tall, dark orchid with leaves that spiral around the stem and purple-tinged, drooping flowers. It flowers from July to September and can mostly be seen in woodlands and scrub.

It has broad, oval leaves, with strong veins, at its base, and smaller leaves that wind their way up its stem. A single flower spike has loose clusters of 'drooping' flowers that are greenish with a purple tinge.

Some species of wasp and bee that are attracted to Broad-leaved Helleborines have been noted as becoming 'intoxicated' after visiting these orchids for nectar - it appears that the flowers can contain a kind of alcohol as a result of a fungus! The bees like it so much, they come back for more, ensuring the flower is pollinated.

We will be back to Chappetts Copse earlier next year to hopefully find the Fly and Bird's Nest Orchids.  Today we were happy with the two Helleborines.

Despite the weather it had been a very successful day with three new orchids for me and the lovely Lizard and Bee Orchids.