Monday 29th May 2017

We were woken at just gone midnight by the biggest most stunning electric and thunderstorm I have ever seen. The sky was almost continually illuminated by intercloud lightning, with only the occasional ground strikes. It woke us both us, and I really should have gotten the camera out, but didn't, and soon went back to sleep after it passed and the thunder rumbled on quieter and quieter.

We woke at seven, with the ground and garden steaming in the morning sunlight, but the day was getting on, and I had plans. There is a site which is well known and home to the Late Spiders, where I found the flowering spike two weeks ago, well, I thought if we go, or I go, early enough, no one about and we have the place to ourselves. So, after coffee we are dressed and on the road at half seven, driving up the A20 to Folkestone, taking the cliff road and parking on the side of a field.

After a 5 minute walk to the site, I see it has been fenced off, to stop according to the sign cattle, but really to stop people, and in particular photographers.

A single spike has been left outside the fence, so people can snap that, and so that is what I do, three sets of shots, one a general distance one, another of the flowering spike, and a macro of one of the flowers. All done in 5 minutes, and after counting the spikes, we walk back to the car, drive back home along the Alkham Valley to fill the car at Tesco, then back home to Chez Jelltex for a slap up breakfast of bacon butties and fresh brews.

And then back out to go back to Orchid country along Stone Street to look for the Greater Butterfly and also see the woodland Fly. Traffic was still light, and again the parking space was empty so we could reverse in, so being near to the start of the climb to the glade. But checking the small group of Lady near the entrance, we find the clearing so overgrown in two weeks that the Lady could not be seen from the path. But they were there, now full out and soon to fade and go to seed for another year.

Up in the glade there were no Green Hairstreak about, but I did snap another new moth species. DOwn the path there were Fly everywhere. Many now faded lower flowers, but other with up to nine flowers on a spike. I snap a few of the best before we cross the road to the other half of the reserve.

Up the path to the top meadow we find two Greater Butterfly in flower, these are the only two I have found thus far in Kent, but then I haven't been to every site. I snap both, and more Fly nearby. Also on the site were dozens of White Helleborine and also many fresh spikes of Broad Leaved Helleborines, meaning we probably will have to come back later in the season to see how they develop.

Up in the meadow many of the Lady have faded and were wizened spikes now, a few were still worth a shot. Mixed in were a few Common Spotted and yet more Fly.

But I have the shots I wanted, sadly I am making it sound like a military operation, and with the sunny weather due to be replaced by clouds in the afternoon, I was against the clock, so back to the car, a bar of chocolate and a swig of squash and we were back on the road, back to Stone Street, onto the A2, turn off to Wingham and on to Sandwich then to Ramsgate to the abandoned industrial site for another hunt for Bee.

We park up among people camped out having picnics or watching their kids playing ball games, while we walk down the steps the the site, and along a ruined road, at a point found by friends, there is a colony of yellow Man. There are now at their peak, but this season they are smaller and stunted than in previous, because of the lack of rain we guess, but these are so different from the ones at Lydden, always worth coming here.

Further on I spot a Southern Marsh spike, and as I make to take a shot, I notice a smaller spike in front, a Bee! It was the first of about 30 spikes and rosettes I saw, maybe half in flower, but more to come, but then again numbers well down on last year.

The final call was at the neighbouring nature reserve, which proved to be very disappointing, as it is so overgrown that orchids were hard to find among the rampaging plants. We did find a few nice Souther Marsh and a possible Leopard Marsh too, but will have to go back to make sure.

We come home, and with the time nearing two, I cook asparagus, corn and focaccia bread for lunch along with a cheeky Belgian beer.

And then came the blogging, the editing, the listening to radio and sitting in the garden drinking coffee, eating strawberries and cream with attending cats. All very nice, but with travel on the horizon tomorrow, I am aware these salad days are coming to an end.

I pack for the morning, check my work stuff, and will put the phone on charge before I go to bed. And so will be ready for the off at quarter to six in the morning.

Time for pizza and beer for dinner, on the sofa watching a documentary about trains, and by the time that ended, so had the holibob.

So, wee you on Friday when it will be June.