Sunday 9th April 2023

Sometimes winter seems to go on forever.

Especially January, which this year seemed to last three months.

How we look forward to the warm sunny days of spring, when we can alk through the bluebell woods, and the air is full of butterflies and bees.

Oh to be in the Garden of England, in the springtime.

Sunday was that day.

(Normal servoce would return for Bank Holiday Monday, of course)

Despite it being the 9th of April, I had not seen a native orchid in bloom yet, so I set out to change that. Jools said she would stay home and do work in the garden, so I would be flying solo.

Only, no one told the weather.

Spring mists, or in the case, fog, had rolled in during the night, though looks very nce, would possibly ruin the great orchid hunt.

We had coffee, and I was off out, going down to Samphire Hoe to see what I could find.

I could see from the ramp as the car left the steep tunnel, that work was being down on the railway away near to the entrance to Abbottsliffe Tunnel, meaning the path next to which the main groups of orchids grow are likely to hav been flattened.

Sigh.

But I do know of one or two other places where orchids and other delights can be found. So, after paying for an hour's parking, I set off, and just to make things perfect, the mist had cleared revealing it to be a most excellent morning.

I walked to the cliff face, and began to look. Just as I was about to give up, I saw a very large spike, although just one flower had opened, and it had either been nibbled or what the Early Spider version of var. trolli. I know not, but suspect the former.

Then, near my feet, a small brown oval, with the familiar "laughing duck" of an Ophrys.

Just the one Early Spider open, but that's all I was looking for.

Snap.

I took 30 or so pictures, just to make sure, and turned back to walk to the car, only to find that the mist has rolled back in and the light had gone.

I did pause for an adder among the rubble, and was rewarded with finding two first year Slow Worms, basking, so I snapped them and let them be.

I walked back to the car, the mist was now fog again, so decided that inland would probably be much better.

Along the M20 to Hythe and then up Stone Street, turning off to the small parking site beside a well-known reserve.

I was here to look for Early Purples, which were usually out well before the Early Spiders, but so far I had seen only rosettes with the smallest of spikes.

I did the ususal loop, up and down, checking the sites for Early Purples, Lady, Fly and Greater Butterfly rosettes, and all found, thouse most with at least two weeks to go before flowering.

Mist came and went, but just being in the woods on such a wonderful morning was a real treat. Sadly, no butterflies were seen, but I guess it was still before nine, so cool still.

I met an old guy from Somerset, we talked long about orchids and other stuff we have seen. Crossing over the road, a couple were getting into their car, and it was two members of my orchid group, Jeff and Suzzanne, out after a hard couple of years for the first time. So I had a chat with them too.

Happy days.

So, no Early Purples seen in flower here either, but there was one more site to check: Earley Wood.

Which is Earley by name.....

It was a short drive along the valley to Petham, then up through the woods to the parking spot.

No sooner had I gone through the gate when I saw a Brimstone on the wing, bright yellow in the sunshine. It settled, I crept closer to get shots, without it being spooked. Maybe it was still cool so it didn't have much energy in its wings.

Down through the quickly drying mud, down through the coppiced wood to where the Early Purples are, and with each step, each rosette was slightly more advanced than the one before, until right at the bottom of the path there was a spike with a single flower open.

At last.

And to be honest with over 12,000 steps done, I had seen what I had wanted and got shots of the Brimstone, so I sat for ten minutes, had another chat with the chap from Somerset, then slipped my way back to the car and home.

Back home for half twelve, and time for dinner. Or lunch. Anyways.

Jools had been hard at work in the garden, many of the raspberry canes produce fruit that is too small to use, so we will dig those up and plant something else.

For the afternoon there was football and staying awake. We all need hobbies.

Both good games, even if I did miss most of the first half of Leeds v Palace.

Jools went out for KFC for supper, which went down very well indeed.

And there was no football to watch in the evening, sadly.