Quaking Grass

My favourite grass (with apologies to Crested Dog's Tail which is also special!) is Quaking Grass which seems to be increasing slowly in the East Field. Easily overlooked as it is small and subtle.

Orchids @ 28th May

For some forgotten reason I always note the number of Common Spotted Orchids found by 28 May. This year it is a all-time high of 507 orchids. However I am not feeling that we are going to get anywhere near the 945 orchids (includes other species) found in 2023. We shall see. In that year there were only 369 Common Spotteds by 28 May but I think the season is a lot earlier this year. In 2023 we reached 529 orchids total by the 6 June so if we are ten days ahead of 2023 climate/weather wise that would make a lot of difference.

Heath Spotted Orchid

I suspect that there are a few Heath Spotted Orchids around but this is the first confirmed one. It is in flower and has all the right features - flower shape more rounded than the Common Spotted; flower lips blowsier with central lip much smaller and not protruding; pattern more speckled than strong loops; flower colour pale and paler smaller leaf spots. So far the non Common Spotted total; one Butterfly, one Green Winged, four Broad-leaved Helleborines and now one Heath spotted.

Lesser Horseshoe Bat back on site!

That makes it twelve years in a row that the male LH Bat is making its summer home in our shed. It is at least thirteen years old but quite likely older. Proud to have him around even if it keeps me out of the shed!

New Species - Oak Snakefly

I had an invertebrate expert come over to see what he could find on site and desdpite our day being curtailed by rain he found a lot of invertebrates. While I wait for confirmation of the species he noted I can show the species that he was most excited by - an Oak Snakefly. Snakeflies are apparently rarely seen as they spend their time high up in the tree canopy hunting aphids and mites. This one had conveniently come down to a hawthorn hedge and posed while I took photos. Impressive creatures and rarely recorded.

Playtime for the fox cubs

They were definitely enjoying themselves racing around, ambushing each other and dreaming of capturing birds.

Exciting new species - Green-winged Orchid

A Green-winged Orchid (Anacamptis morio) was last seen on this part of The Narth in 1987 and one has appeared in flower in the West Field. It is a species I have longed to see here. I certainly spread a little seed last year but that can't have produced this flower as they take years to get to the flowering stage. I also did a few years ago but whether this is from introduced seed or buried seed we may never know. I suspect the latter because this is not an area I would have cast the see in and also it has been a good year for GWOs flowering as evidenced by the hundreds that have appeared close to Trellech that by coincidence I was looking at just before I found the one here.