Good and not so Good

Sat. 5th June 2010.
            The second half of this week has been warm and fairly sunny and the countryside is quickly changing into early summer. Somethings have fared well whilst others are struggling, I'm refering to this years Bee Orchids which are going to have a poor season on a couple of sites that I've visited.The sites are too dry with the lack of rain and it looks like they've all suffered from frost damage and on one site the orchids are growing on a hillside which is on a geoligists trail and where the rock samples are being extracted the orchids are being trampled on.

    Better news from my own little garden , it's now taken on its early summer look around the stream and pond  with all the late spring flowers at their best. In my old alpine trough the first of about 80 wild orchids has just opened, the seeds have just blown in over the years and germinated and established themselves. In the next few weeks many more orchids will start flowering around the garden and I hope I can beat last years total of 184 orchid spikes.

                                 Under the shadow of Pendle Hill

                            The small stunted Bee Orchid

                                   Stunted and frost damaged

                  Back home the  Scree garden's bursting into colour

                 The first wild orchid has opened in my alpine trough

                             Early summer look around the pond

                                Red Campion by the stream

                                            Water Avens

                          One of my favourites... Ragged Robin

                       The minnows have ascended the stream
                       into the top pond and are ready for spawning