New Green Winged Orchid site on The Narth

This is one orchid I would love to see here at The Beeches but so far no luck. However it is flowering on a site just outside the village boundary where horses are kept. I think this is the first confirmed record around the village for a couple of decades!

Bulbous Buttercups

Yet another flower in profusion this year - the best buttercup - the Bulbous Buttercup. Good colour contrast with the ubiquitous Bluebells.

Still loads of Fallow Deer around.

This a group finding something tasty on the low stone wall by the house. They do seem a bit random in their eating habits and sometimes just take bites out of whatever they are walking past at the time.

Yellow Archangel

Another flower putting on a great display this year is one of my favourites - the Yellow Archangel (Lamiastrum galeobdolon). This is around in its wild form in two sites near the trees around the East Field.

Stoat and Lesser Horseshoe Bat both back in residence!

Yesterday a stoat was spotted behind the garage - probably occupying one of the rabbit burrows there. Many fewer rabbits around this year but they are around and no doubt breeding furiously. Also the single male Lesser Horseshoe bat is back in the shed - that's 11 years of residence so far! Good news all round.

Spring Sedge

Spring Sedge (Carex caryophyllea) is having a very good year. It has spread widely in the last few years and the distinctive two-tone flowers with cream anthers and white stigmas amke it an attractive addition to the early flower line-up.

Newts

Clearing some of the leaf and grass debris from the large pond I have twice found newts in the water. I'm fairly sure they are Palmate Newts but next time I find one I'll look at the throat as the Palmate Newt has no spots there which is one of the ways to distiguish it from the Common Newt.