Clouded Yellows - Ferring Rife

This time you get what it says on the label. Following a posting on SOS by John Dixon that he had seen three Clouded Yellows on the rife I took a quick look. Mid-morning there were at least 20 Clouded Yellows shared between the lagoons. A more realistic total would be 30, some of which were most obliging and posed for the camera.

Many thanks for the tip John.

Plenty of Common Blues showing, particularly in the southern lagoon, why I am not sure. There doesn't seem to be a noticeable difference in food plant quantity between north and south. On the footpath the ever present Speckled Woods.

Even a late Skipper!!

Ferring Rife

It was a pleasure to get out and about today, albeit for just a couple of hours. The sunshine and clear blue skies made a great change from Sky Sports and endless daytime TV adverts.

Each year I visit the rife specifically to monitor the Southern Marsh and Early Marsh Orchids. Whilst I don't do an actual count, I normally make a fairly objective assessment. I am glad to report that the population appears to be in fine health, not the numbers of 2011 but they seem to be far more widespread, in that smaller specimens can be found as far as the hedgerow boundaries of the lagoons. It is possible that seed has been distributed by the high floods in the past. Also, it is great to note that the spoil heaps of the excavations carried out by the Environment Agency are being colonised.

Early Marsh Orchid, Dactylorhiza incarnate

 

Southern Marsh Orchid, Dactylorhiza praetermissa

With last year's flowering stem

A smaller specimen on the edge of the lagoon

Spotted leaves



A profusion of Dactylorhizae

North lagoon

A good sign - colonisation of the spoil heaps

Flag irises always look good

South lagoon

Super size spike