Friday 24th April 2026

So, we have nearly made it to the end of the week again.

As always on non-phys days, I could lay in to six or half past, but my brain wakes me up before five. However, this day, much to my surprise I fell back to sleep, and was woken up for the second time when Jools drove up the drive en route for her yoga class.

I get up, get dressed and make coffee, before putting out the bins and drank a second cuppa sitting on the patio as the sun warmed the morning up.

I did have orchids on my mind.

On Tuesday, I bumped into one of the mods from my orchid group, who had just been to see the peloric Early Purples.

What is Pelorism, Precious?

Well, Wikki describes it thus:

"Pelorism is the abnormal production of radially symmetrical (actinomorphic) flowers in a species that usually produces bilaterally symmetrical (zygomorphic) flowers. These flowers are spontaneous floral symmetry mutants. The term epanody is also applied to this phenomenon. Bilaterally symmetrical (zygomorphic) flowers are known to have evolved several times from radially symmetrical (actinomorphic) flowers, these changes being linked to increasing specialisation in pollinators."

In other words, its a genetic throwback to an ancient form, petal and sepal arrangement.

I waited until Jools came back, and confirmed she didn't need the car, then set off to Yockletts.

Again.

Not much to report. It was quiet on the roads, and it was a fine, warm day. Perfect for orchiding.

I toyed with the idea of parking at the bottom of the Gogway, and just walking up to site where I thought I knew my quest would be ended. But, thought a walk across the whole reserve would be good, and get in my steps again.

So I parked in the small layby, grabbed the camera and walked into the reserve.

Unlike animals and insects, plants can't escape when a predator comes by. So it was a shock to see the glade where on Tuesday there were four flowering Early Purple spikes, to discover all were gone.

I walked to the lower glade: it was cool and in deep shadow, but the sun would reach it soon, and maybe there would be butterflies.

I stopped to snap the Fly orchids through the wood, up to the upper path to check on the couple of Lady orchids that were still in flower, just a little further on from Tuesday.

Over the Gogway, I checked on the site for the green Fly: no sign as yet. I think they have died out, but time may yet prove me wrong on that.

U the steep path where I expected to see the most advanced Lady spike in full flower, as it looked splendid but not quite all open on Tuesday.

But it was gone. The rosette was there, but no spike.

I don't know for sure that it was picked by a human or an animal. Deers love the taste of orchids for sure, but that meant four different orchid species on the reserve have all lost flowering spikes this year.

Too much of a coincidence really. I think they were picked, but I have no firm evidence.

I sigh and walk along the path, now quite overgrown to the bluebell wood, where there were most spikes already gone to seed, and only a handful of Early purple sikes showing well.

I find what I thought was the track to the peloric orchids, but I find none. Nearby a colony of usually shaped spikes were spotted, so through the undergrowth, over fallen trees, all while walking on the side of a down at an angle of 45 degrees.

I checked further down and still find no peloric orchids, but I do find another colony of Early purples, one with excess of pigmentation, hyperchromatic. An un-named variant.

I take shots.

Then walk back up the down, where as I was climbing over a trunk, my right foot slips, and instead of my left foot clearing the log, I kick it with my shin, removing the skin.

That smarted and will take some time to heal.

I curse my weak body and carelessness, but in truth I had climbed up and down the wooded down at least five times with no issues, no heavy breathing or needing to rest my back or knees.

I just did it.

And no walking pole needed.

I walk back down the main path, then along the bottom path, along where a decade ago there was a wide strip of grass, full of wild flowers and butterflies, but now scrub and soon to be woodland.

The orchids and butterflies will not return.

I sigh again.

Back over the Gogway, along the lower path and up to the lower meadow, where I take a seat in the vain hope of seeing one of our most fabulous butterflies: A Green hairstreak.

I had not seen them in the meadow since before COVID, so I had little hope.

I saw Brimstone, Holly blues, Large whites and Orange tips, but I kept looking.

In flight the Green hairstreak looks brown, and only is iridescent green when its scales reflect the sun.

I see two small brown butterflies flying close to the ground. I knew for sure these were Green hairstreaks.

I got up and walked closer. One landed, and I lay down, edging closer getting a few shots through the grass as it rested.

The camera over exposed every shot.

But it flew off, duelling with with another across the meadow. Round and round they flew, like a small two butterfly tornado, before circling a beech sapling over and over again.

I walked over and one settled. I edged closer, and through the sapling's leaves, I rattled off shots, hoping on would be in focus as I struggled to stay still on the steeply sloping ground.

And was done. It flew off, and it was time to leave.

I drove back to Stone Street, turned south towards Folkestone and the motorway.

It had turned into a fine Spring day, and even with a slow coach in front of the line of traffic was last in, I cared not.

So, back to Dover, as traffic for the port got confused as to what lane to be in, I turned up Jubilee Way and to home.

I had beaten Jools home, as she had walked the long way back from knit and natter, via Kingsdown Road the then the Dip.

I sat on the patio with three attendant cats, sipping from a pint of fizzy orange squash.

Lunch/dinner was Caprese with basil from the plants I repotted, and warmed a loaf in the oven.

It was a fine meal, the tomatoes now full of flavour, as was the basil.

The music quiz took place at six. I came second on the night, and so second overall for the month, but the fridge magnet prize was out of reach.

For the evening there was football. Could Nottingham Forest increase the gap between them and Tottenham and West Ham?

Sunderland dominated the first ten minute, with 91% of possession, but possession without an end product is just a statistic.

Then, then sky fell in on Sunderland, Forest scoring one, then three more in quick succession. 4-0 at half time, and they even managed to sweep in a fifth before the final whistle, thus giving themselves a nine point gap to Spurs in 18th, meaning it is between Spurs and West Ham as to who is going to take to last relegation spot.

A shame then, that Steve from next door chose this game to go and cheer on his team, Sunderland, on in person.