News update – 13th May

Visited the site today and it’s bone dry up there but there are plenty of orchids flowering. Highlights include:

• hybrids – about 100+ plants if full flower, looking very good indeed and they seem to have avoided the effects of the drought
• Lady Orchid – just 1 in flower this year but it’s looking very good
• Monkey Orchids – I counted 15-20 but most were very small indeed and showing signs of aborting due to the prolonged drought this year – especially those on the southern face. That said, there are some very nice plants over on the western side.
• White Helleborines – plenty of plants up in the woods but none seen on the grassland this year – too dry, I suspect. Most are in bud.
• Chalk Milkwort – flowering well and plenty across the slope
• Downy-fruited Sedge – plenty of flowering plants this year but very difficult to find
• Pasque Flower – about 10 in full flower in slope 4. These seem to be flowering for a long time this year but all plants are very small.
• No Grizzled Skippers seen but plenty of Dingy Skippers, 1 Small Heath and Green Hairstreaks were seen a few weeks ago. Also 1 Common Blue was seen today.
• Two pairs of Hobby seen flying across the tops of the trees and the river.