Calendar
Categories
- Uncategorised (225)
Latest Postings
- 04/08/2009: Web site update
- 19/07/2009: Bricket Wood
- 17/07/2009: Wisdom teeth
- 14/07/2009: Flower walk to Totternhoe
- 11/07/2009: Ivinghoe Beacon and College Lake
- 01/07/2009: Ivinghoe Beacon nature walk
- 21/06/2009: College Lake
- 20/06/2009: Big in the Czech Republic!
- 19/06/2009: Another update
- 14/06/2009: Totternhoe nature walk
Links
Archives
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
« The Dales Way | Another update »
Totternhoe nature walk
This morning I visited the nature reserves at Totternhoe. My main aim was to look for the Man Orchids and Bee Orchids that I saw there last year. I found a solitary Man Orchid (last year there had also been a group of four nearby) but no Bee Orchids. There were plenty of Common Spotted Orchids and Common Twayblades, plus a couple of Pyramidal Orchids. I also saw lots of Yellow Rattle, and my first Self-heal of the year.
I got a nice photo of a Speckled Wood, but that was the only species of butterfly I saw. I did see a couple of moths though, Cinnabar and Straw Dot.
23/06/2009 at 09:51 pm
We saw man orchids at Totternhoe 20 years ago and two visits this year have yielded nothing - not even a bud or seedhead. We have never seen bee there. Is this year unusually poor? Odd as other orchids seem to be doing remarkably well.
24/06/2009 at 06:59 pm
The Man Orchid I saw wasn’t actually on the reserves, but along the track from near the car park that passes the quarry reserve, further on towards the cement works (or whatever it is). They are quite hard to spot (I missed it the first time I searched that section), so possibly there are more (as there were last year) but I missed them.
There were several Bee Orchids at College Lake, so I don’t think it’s a bad year for them. There was a discussion about Bee Orchids on the WildAboutBritain site (see: http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/forums/wildflowers-plants-and-tree-forums/53727-bee-orchids-2.html ) - I think the conclusion is it’s a bad year for Bee Orchids in some places but not others.
I certainly agree other orchids seem to be doing well, masses of Pyramidal and Common Spotted Orchids at College Lake and along the quarry path here in Kensworth.