Sword-leaved Helleborine and Burnt Orchids.

Two distinctly different sites today. We started in a leafy copse in Hampshire. home to many hundreds of Sword-Leaved Helleborine or sometimes known as the Narrow-leaved Helleborine. Anyway it's Cephelanthera longifolia to resolve any ambiguity. Lots of stems in full bloom, ideal photographic subjects, the only trouble was that under the dense beech canopy, light was at a premium. We stood in this leafy glade waiting for the sun to move round and illuminate a likely subject. Great care must be taken at this venue as one inadvertent step could destroy several specimens. It appeared that the local rabbit population was enjoying the odd snack or two as many of the plants by the path had been nibbled short.

In a leafy glade waiting for the sun.

There are also Fly Orchids at this venue, very small specimens but there were a couple in flower.

Solomon's Seal, Polygonatum multiflorum

On our way back to sunny West Sussex we stopped off to recce our Bird's Nest Orchid site, sure enough, ten healthy spikes rising from the leaf litter in yet another dark environment. None were actually in flower but as we returned to the car park there was a single plant almost in the middle of the path. It was duly recorded and I don't give much chance of it surviving the weekend.

Up on the Downs we had a clear blue sky and the sun was beating down. The heat, however, was offset by a fairly keen northerly breeze. The end result was it was rather comfortable. We had been up here at the end of last week and unfortunately found nothing. As always with orchids location has to be precise. Luckily we were put right by Dawn and Jim, not for the first time I hasten to add, and as we approached the area we met a gentleman we had met previously at Castle Hill, truly a fellow "Orchideer" and he put us on some perfect specimens of Burnt Orchid. So a big thank you to those concerned.

On our previous visit I managed to record Common Blue. 

Common Blue

Common Blue

At  Wolstonbury Hill  the Common Twayblades were just emerging, literally hundreds of them. We found a Holly Blue, which was very obliging, intent on "puddling" on the path. Both recorded here for posterity.

Common Twayblade

Common Twayblade

Holly Blue

Holly Blue