Monday 20 June 2011

Catching Up

 Monday 20th June 2011
                                We've been catching up on our garden since arriving home from our motor home holiday last week. Firstly the garden needed cutting back, the lawn mowing and where necessary a few plants moved. I think my garden is at its best in June with all the wild flowers and orchids that have blown in over the years and naturalized. The orchids in the field next to our house are coming into flower and the local industrial estate in Burnley has revealed some surprises we've also headed off into the Yorkshire Dales on our never ending search for new orchid locations.







Southern Marsh Orchids in the fields near our house





On the mowed lawns surrounding the industrial units we found a few Bee Orchids




Our first walk was in Wharfedale in the Yorkshire Dales on the loveliest of early summer days Here up in the dales the farms are payed to delay from mowing the meadows until the wild flowers and orchids have set seed later in the season.






    
Besides the Greater Butterfly Orchids There were Hundreds of Fragrant Orchids


Fragrant orchids their perfume drifted across the meadows
 
The final wow factor of the walk, a colony of about 200 Northern Marsh Orchids









 Yesterday was a cool day  with passing showers but not deterred we explored Upper Ribblesdale around Ribblehead . This is higher wilder country where the seasons are late and the earlier spring flowers linger on until mid-summer.


Water Avens still in flower
    In this  thicker undergrowth we found the Frog and Twayblade Orchid  and other earlier spring flowers

                                                      Frog Orchid

                                                 

                                                       Twayblade

                                    Late flowering Marsh Marrigold

                                       Bird's-eye Primrose

                                             Globe Flower

In the more open areas Northern Marsh and Frog Orchids

                                                  Northern Marsh Orchid

And finally the tiny Frog orchid, you really have to get your eye in to find this well camouflaged tiny orchid.


                        






Saturday 18 June 2011

Motorhome Wanderings



Sat.18th June 2011.
                           This is my first post for 6 weeks because we've been out exploring our beautiful countryside in my favourite months of the year ... May & early June. We travelled down into Shrophire and walked in the hills around Church Stretton before moving on to the Somerset Levels. After a few days of cycling and visiting the nature res. in this fasinating area we  moved south again into Devon then east into Dorset and finally moving into the Vale of Pewsey in Wiltshire.There are too many tales, facts and photos to show on this post, but perhaps the briefest of pictures on our never ending pursuit for the many wonders and mysteries of nature.

Climbing up the Lawley in the Shrophire Hills
Glastonbury Tor above the Somerst Levels
                  
Cycling in the Somerset Levels
The first of several orchids that we found on Dartmoor

Early Purple Orchid
The Lydford Gorge
Torcross  South Devon
Along the coast near Beesands
Southern Marsh Orchid ?
Walking towards Blackpool Sands near Dartmouth
Kingswear
Coleton Fishacre...  Nat. Trust
Off the Path deep in a Devonshire Wood

Dorset .... Jurassic Coast
Ammenite fossil
Chocolate Box Cottage in Kimmeridge
Another Cream Tea
Corfe Castle Camping Site
Dorset coast near Durlston Head
Bee Orchids scorched with the dry sunny weather during May
Bee Orchid
Orchids on Corfe Common


The Chalk Downs above the Vale of Pewsey in Wiltshire


Fragrant Orchid
The Greater Butterfly Orchid