| With rain threatening all afternoon and a strong south-westerly wind blowing we knew that we weren't going to see the butterflies we'd hoped for. But as always we ventured out optimistically and still had an excellent spring walk ... | |
| The path from the car park produced the first plants of interest with lots of Twayblades growing along the edges. This strange-looking orchid has quite attractive flowers if you look at them close enough. Early Purple Orhids were also found nearby along with leaves of Common (or Heath) Spotted Orchid. The much rarer Birds Nest Orchid resisted our efforts to locate it though. |
© Bob Ford/Nature Portfolio
Twayblade |
© Bob Ford/Nature Portfolio
Tormentil |
Further on we found a patch of land covered in the tiny yellow flowers of Tormentil, indicating acid conditions in the soil below. Nearby was a very prickly plant with yellow gorse-like flowers - the uncommon Petty Whin. |
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Reaching the pond we found it covered in beautiful white flowers of Bogbean.
A movement underneath the flowers revealed a good population of Palmate Newts, one of which (a male) we were able to examine in the hand.
On the journey home, a short distance south of Powerstock on the edge of Eggardon Hill, Pat and I stopped to watch a sizeable herd of 30 or more Sika Deer, including 3 white individuals. |
© Bob Ford/Nature Portfolio
Palmate Newt |