It was a largely overcast but warm day (21C) as I set off for a walk around my local patch. My route took in Gooseman's Field first followed by the Woodland Burial Ground and then out through the cemetery looking for white helleborine orchids. I was surprised at the lack of tortoiseshell, peacocks and white butterflies but put this down to the overcast blustery conditions. However, as there were plenty of others on the wing, perhaps the first brood butterflies of these species have come to the end of their life cycle. We have to remember that the adult stage is the shortest period in their life cycle. I was delighted, though, to find my first small heaths and common blue of the year: 6 small heaths and 1 common blue. I also found one each of green-veined white, speckled wood and holly blue as well one each of silver Y and silver ground carpet moths. On the bird front it was good to find quite a few whitethroats singing their scratchy song as well as a few linnets. No skylarks, though, but perhaps that is because I can't hear them so well nowadays. I saw only one swallow and no other hirundines. Apart from the two new for year butterflies the other highlight was to find four white helleborines. These rare orchids are classed as vulnerable and in Britain confined to the south of England. That begs the question as to why they flower here every year, sometimes in large numbers. The only reasons that I can think of are that they were carried in as seed on someone's shoes or, less likely given their status, from flowers placed on a grave. Typical of the species they grow in the heavy shade of trees and their flowers are a greenish cream rather than bright white. I did take some photographs but only had the long lens and used it on the wrong setting. Doh!! In view of this the next day I went back with the macro lens and also to make a more thorough search during which I eventually found 14 flower spikes.
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