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.