Sunday 5th May 2024

The middle day of a three day weekend, and with endless clear blue skies and light winds forecasted, there could only be one place to go.

In truth there are endless places to go, but if you want to photograph orchids and butterflies, especially the Duke of Burgundy, then this was a perfect day.

And the mile long walk to the site along the woodland gallop would test my knee good and proper.

It would have been an easy trip out, were it not for the cyclists.

That is being over-dramatic, but hundreds of the lycra-clad barrelling down what Tony would call "six-foot sixers" are coming the other way. There was a 50 mile ride round Kent, we saw signs on Bridge, and I wondered where else they would go.

Through Denge Wood was the answer, the opposite direction you'll be wanting to go down. I pulled in to let many go past, but there was just too many to do it for all, in the end both car and cyclists had to be sensible.

The Duke is a rare butterfly, and its emergence attracts the lepidopterists out to chase and photograph them. Meaning the small car park was already overflowing at nine in the morning, but we nabbed the last space, got out camera, knee brace and walking pole, and set off.

I went off at quite a pace, Jools tells me, meaning rather than limping along, I strode out. Maybe this was a desire to get to the site before any more people arrived, I don't know. But I went along at a fair old lick, making it to the reserve, and climbing down the steep, muddy steps.

I see a guy in among the scrub, so go to ask if he'd seen any.

He had, but being his first time he wasn't sure of where else to go. So, I take him to the leck, where the displaying males gather. We find two more, but on the ground. I get a shot or two, but then head off as the reserve is also stunning for Lady Orchids, and has other species too.

There is a circular path to follow, so I go along the top, where in the past Lady Orchids have covered the slopes. Not quite in those numbers now, but a good number, and many already near to be fully open.

At the far end there is another area for Dukes. We are the only ones here, and we quickly see ten, twenty Dukes of the wing, basking or fighting. I get shots of a couple who were in shrub, displaying.

I go round the bottom path, and find Fly, Early Purple, White Helleborine and lots of Greater Butterfly, some out, others close.

Very close.

Back at the end nearest the car park, there is a dozen folks, all looking round, not my scene, so I go back up the steps and meeting back up with Jools we walk back to the car.

On the way, the gallop where open to the sun, was full of butterflies, and I get shots of a female Green veined white, a female Orange Tip, a Peacock and several Brimstones too.

Back at the car, the cyclists had mostly passed, so we made our way back to Petham and then back via Bridge to the A2 and home, stopping of again at Tesco for some supplies, then home for brunch and a brew, before the football filling the afternoon.

The skies cloud over and it gets cool, so sitting inside watching 22 men run around chasing a ball isn't as mad an option as you'd think.

We have carbonara for lunch, with warmed up focaccia and wine, which made us snoozy for the afternoon's footy.

And the games didn't help, at least the first one. As Brighton and Villa played a dull game of who can send each other to sleep. But later, Liverpool ran rings round Spurs to lead 4-0 on the hour, then made changes, got lazy and Spurs pulled two goals back.

By then it was half six, and the day nearly gone.