Monday 30 August 2021

Adventures in Orchidaceae pt 9 .. upon a Chalk Hill Fort ..

Hambledon Hill (ascent from the South)

looking West

looking East

heading East

East end of Hill Fort

descending Westerlie

Adonis blue (Polyommatus bellargus)


Autumn Lady's-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis)

Tuesday 17 August 2021

Adventures in Orchidaceae pt 8 .. upon a Chalk Hill ..

St Hubert's of Idsworth

The day started with a pilgrimage to, and a guided meditation, within the grounds of the exquisite St Hubert's of Idsworth.

The church is surrounded by a wide belt of wildflower meadow, whose beckoning of flora and butterflies was somewhat distracting - given the main purpose of my visit.

Spiritually refreshed, I headed to Noar Hill in the search for Musk orchid (Herminium monorchis) and Frog orchid (Dactylorhiza viridis), I could not find the latter, but once my eye was in on the musk orchid I was pleasantly surprised by its abundance - finding its short, pale spikes throughout much of the short grassland of the quarried centre of the hill.

Whilst the location of the frog orchids remained elusive I thoroughly enjoyed the supporting cast of orchids I encountered: common spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), although very much over; Pyramidal orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis), and chalk fragrant-orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea) again edging heavily toward seed.

This hill always keeps giving when you start looking through the turf. However, today was not the day for wider scrutiny, not the time to get bogged down with the effort to observe and record everything that I could find and name.

My mood of late had been in desperate need of lightening. This combination of pilgrimage, meditation and a new orchid species to observe - was the uplift that I so very much needed and I left the hill in high spirit.

Musk orchid

Common spotted-orchid

Pyramidal orchid


Chalk fragrant-orchid

Musk orchids


Noar Hill

Monday 9 August 2021

Chanctonbury Ring to Cissbury Ring and environs W. Sussex 9th August 2009


We returned to West Sussex for our second attempt to walk the chalkdowns between the two iron age hill-forts Chanctonbury and Cissbury Rings. This time the weather remained on our side.
The paths between Chanctonbury and Cissbury Rings have long swathes of greater willowherd Epilobium hirsutum most of which have gone over to seed, although some of the plants along the South Downs Way were seen to be still in flower.
Epilobium hirsutum in seed (inset) and in flower (below)


A flowering mint plant Mentha sp. caught our eye for the abundance of invertebrates that it attracted including bright metallic green flies, butterflies, solitary bees and other species such as the unidentified insect above.


comma butterfly Polygonum c-album

mint moth Pyrausta aurata

Flax sp. believed to be Linaceae bienne

Birds of note on the day were up to five buzzards Buteo buteo, three kestrel Falco tinnunculus, yellowhammer Emberiza cintrinella, large flocks of greenfinch Carduelis chloris, a single corn bunting Miliaria calandra, common whitethroat Sylvia communis and the biggest surprise of the day a solitary fem. marsh harrier Circus aeruginosis hawking over the wheat fields and drawing much attention from the local flocks of corvidae.

Chanctonbury Hill also features a dewpond managed by the National Trust on a SSSI site. Built in 1870 it was restored 100 years later by the Society of Sussex Downsman.

Chanctonbury Hill Dewpond