Another Bolete - Scarletina Bolete

This proved a little difficult to nail down although I have seen it before locally. Similar to the previous bolete so I had to list the candidates and then check against that list. There have been name changes and Kibby also says it is a poorly defined species and doesn't include it but basically it is the Scaletina Bolete (Neoboletus luridiformis) which has some distinctive colour changes when bruised and cut.

My favourite butterfly appears

I didn't record the Marbled White last year and hadn't seen it this year until this week. I was concerned about their viability as theyt do keep local. In faqct I still am until I see some more individuals. Also seen today was a Comma and in fact we are already at 12 species in 2025 versus 9 species last year. Still nowhere near the 18 or so species I recorded a few years ago but there is time yet. Old photo of Marbled White.

New pond construction - attempt #3

The second pond in the North Field was designed to make up for the first pond losing most of its water due to the lining being torn - those badgers have sharp claws! To avoid using a liner I went for a clay based lining bvut the initial build didn't hold water sufficiently so a second attempt involved lots and lots of clay. This also didn't do the trick with the suspicion that it was leaking slowly out of the uphill bank of the pond. So attampt number 3 is to dig out most of the clay, lay a pond underlay (double thickness), then a puncture resistant liner, then clay on that. Also I now have a feed from the roof of the woodshed to provide enough water in the summer. So far its working although there is still some tidying up to do. It will hopefully provode a suitable habitat for tadpoles next year and also of course newts and dragonflies.

Orchid update

I think the orchid season here is coming to a close - I haven't spotted any new ones today or yesterday. The total is 723 orchids which is a huge increase of 132% on last year's meagre 312. However it is fewer than the totals in 2021,2022 and our best year 2023 when we had 945 orchids. One good aspect is that @othyer' orchids (ie those that are not Common Spotted) increased from just 8 last year to 21 this year. Again this is fewer that the Other Orchid totals for 2019 onwards. The big change is in the number of Broad-leaved Helleborines over those years - we had 42 of that species alone in 2021. The good news in this category is the 5 Bee Orchids, the 4 Heath-spotted Orchids and the reappearance of a single Butterfly Orchid and a single Twayblade. Six species of Orchid is brilliant.

Dry Stone Wall rebuild

The pesky deer gradually destroyed a section of the dry stone wall in the West Field but help is now at hand and it is being rebuilt. This time I will leave a large gap so the deer no longer have to jump the wall and simply block the gap with a gate leant agqainst the wall when any sheep are in there.

Another perfect Heath Spotted Orchid

I've never recorded more than two Heath Spotted Orchids before this year but we are up to four specimen s this year. It can be slightly subjective because of hybridisation so I only count those that match the criteria fully. Here's another one at the very top of the West Field. Notice the prominence of the side lobes and the relatively minor central lobe, the blowsy overlapping broad flower lips, the spotting and dotting rather than strong loops marking of the flowers and the overall shap of the flowerhead which appears fuller and less torpedo shaped than the Common Spotted Orchid. The leaves are much less strongly spotted as well.

First bolete for 2025

I spotted this large bolete under Beech in the West Field. I assumed it was the Red-cracking Bolete (Xerocomellus chrysenteron) as I had seen that here before but it turned out to be the more common Bluefoot Bolete (Xerocomellus cisalpinus). There has been confusion about these two species in the past but it has now been determined that this is the more common species and is found under oak and beech.

Fawn still resident in East Field

The newborn fawn that I nearly trod on a week ago is still lying up during the day during this hot spell whilst his mother is off feeding elsewhere. After a few days I was a bit concerned as I had not seen the mother return but a couple of days later and the fawn had moved position and then yesterday early evening it was skittering around and learning to pronk whilst its mother looked on. Its back in the long grass today.

Orchid Species #6 for 2025 - Greater Butterfly Orchid

I had given up any hope of seeing a recurrence of Butterfly Orchids which appeared singly in 2022 and a pair in 2023. However I came across this magnificent specimen about 10 metres from where the previous ones appeared. That makes six species fopr the year - Common Spotted, Heath Spotted, Broad-leavced Helleborine, Twayblade and Bee Orchid.

Newborn fawn

Newborn fawns are left in hiding and won't shift even if you walk by within a couple of metres. I nearly trod on one this morning. Here's a photo taken with a long lens. They are well hidden!

New Southern Marsh Orchid site on The Narth

The site that served up Green Winged Orchids this year has also got Southern Marsh Orchids. I counted 80 plus spikes there today. I have had one Southern Marsh a couple of years ago but this new collection is a great sight to see.

Bee Orchids plural!

On three occassions we have had a single Bee Orchid (2017, 2021 and last year), all in the same area. Yesterday I recorded five Bee Orchids there which is definitely my biggest surprise this year regarding flowers. This is an outstanding looking flower, evolved to mimic a particular female bee but which is generally self-pollinating. That explains why we now seem to have progeny of either the 2017 or perhaps the 2021 specimen.

Another surprise - Quaking Grass

My favourite grass species here is Quaking Grass. It is elegant and shivers in the breeze. It appeared some years ago in the East Field but only a few stalks and whilst I did find it in the same spot for a few years in a row I couldn't see it last year or this year so far. Until that is I was walking up the drive and in the rough narrow verge there was a small area of it. I don't expect to see the rarer plants here on a rough bit of verge that gets no careful management.