Sunday 21st July 2019

Sunday.

Not many orchids to look at, so shall we have a weekend off gallivanting about, or go look for butterflies instead?

Butterflies won out, of course.

Two weeks ago, i went to Ham Street Woods reserve and had a fine morning in which I saw many species, including a lifer, seeing a Purple Hairstreak.

I asked Jools if she would like to go there and see the butterflies herself. She said she would.

So, after breakfast, we loaded the car and set out for Ashford, then out towards the Romney Marsh, heading for Ham Street.

Ham Street is an odd place, it has no church, but then the idea of parishes predates towns, and where towns are now won't reflect where churches were built in antiquity. Nearest churches are at Warehorne, Snave and Ruckinge. So, its a place I don't know well, other than a place to pass through to get somewhere else.

But in the centre of the village, if you turn down a dead end lane where there is a bricked up pill box, at the end is a parking area for the reserve.

We ended up there after negotiating the roadworks on the motorway and through Ashford, then out across the marshes being tailgated by a Post Office truck.

We park the car, and walk through the wood to the long gallop I had seen before. Being in a wood, it was mostly in shade, so not much on the wing, but the day would quickly warm up.

As we walk along, I see the Silver Washed Fritillaries high in the trees, but soon they are coming down to feed. And at the main intersection, I get a clear shot of a fresh out of the packet male.

Further on I am looking at some flies, honest, when Jools points out a White Admiral is just through the leaves of the bush. I stick my lens through and snap it before it glides off.

It is all rather pleasant, we end up at the far side of the reserve, so turn round and walk back. There are dozens of Gatekeepers, Ringlets, Large Whites, Peacocks. So many Peacocks, never seen so many.

We were spoilt. I was spoilt.

We drive home for lunch.

And then after seeing a friend's shots of Sussex Violet Helleborines, I thought we had better check our local patch.

We drive out again, nip up the A2 to Barham, then along the narrow lanes to the special layby.

The wood is still, not a sound or breath of wind moves the air.

I take my camera with flash fitted, and the bulky tripod, and we walk up the gently sloping wooded down. My back complained.

I press on, then we turn up the steepest part, and I am expected to see flowering spikes, I am all excited, and I see. Spikes. Unfurling.

At least a week off.

We go on looking for the other clumps we found over the last two years, and fine none. In all we find just 11 spikes, and only 9 have flowering spikes.

Bugger.

Oh well, always next week. Or the week after.

We walk back to the car, we going across the down looking for the mystical Ghost Orchid. A futile endeavour, as its never been recorded in Kent, but there's no reason it shouldn't be here, comditions are perfect and its well within its habitation range. But I find nothing, of course.

We return home for ice cream sitting in the back garden before Jools prepares nachos for dinner, with her own spicy salsa.

Yummy.

The evening shaows lengthen, and Jools gets the Uckers board out so I can beat her again. Which I do.

And that was the, nearly, three day weekend.

All over.