Wenlock Edge 2nd August 2023 (SO 58338 97623)

A few weeks back I was asked if I had ever come across Narrow-lipped Helleborines on Wenlock Edge. There are some historical records of such, but I was sceptical. This is quite outside their UK range. However I had a pair of grid references and more in hope than anything was more than willing to have a look. The first spot is close to where I saw Violet Helleborines a few years ago. It was adjacent to the NT car park but an up-and-down along the paths yields nothing. Taking the path that leads down and around the back after about 300m we see one VH. Nice plant though. The second spot is along the Jack Mytton Way where it follows the course of the old railway. We walk the section between two bridges over lanes but find nothing. I do not doubt those making those historical records has seen an Epipactis species, but it must have been a misidentifaction to call them NLH. I see this happening elsewhere with old Dune Helleborine sightings north of Liverpool also being given as NLH. Sometimes the differences are too subtle for someone not well versed in Epipactis species.

Coalbrookdale 2nd August 2023 

This is only a short distance away so it would be daft not to drop in and look at the Violet Helleborines here. There are a good number along the roadside of Captains Copse, but most are not out yet, so i decide not to expend energy on the hillside here or the steep hill up to Paradise. In the shade there will even fewer in flower. Sadly the multi-stemmed clump has been had by deer again.

Benthall Hall 7th August 2023 (SJ 65787 02587)

This is another place with historical records, this time for Violet Helleborines found by one of the Benthall family in Benthall Woods just behind the house. We cover a lot of the higher paths but absolutely nothing is found. Well these records are half a century old! The lower paths are ignored because a sign indicated that the Shropshire Way was closed due to a landslip and they might actually be telling the truth. Back at the Hall itself, a NT property, in the edge of the church graveyard is a single fruiting stem of Common Spotted Orchid. Actually it has some nice purplish colouration. There may have more but the grass has largely just been scythed. A notice in the car park also suggests they also grow within the short flower meadow walk in early summer.

Eryrys 15th August 2023 (SJ 20309 56903)

I had a message that there were some late flowering Frog Orchids here. Never been here before late in the season and it seemed to be a chance to add to my observations that there are early flowering and late flowering Frog Orchids in much the same way as Burnt Orchids. Up to now my experience has been limited to those growing in Minera. While essentially the limestone bed rock of both these sites is the same carboniferous limestone, and the two sites having comparable flora, the Eryrys site is a collection of spoil heaps for the local lead mining. Sadly only three Frog Orchids are found today and to be honest they do look like leftovers from the spring. They were found where those grow, and were not the reddish shades expected. This species` spikes do seem to persist. We cover a lot of the area, but unless you know exactly where to look or chance upon some it is quite a grueling task. The other growth here is so much longer in late summer. So the jury is still out on my theory. Another visit at this time of year is in order however.

Nant y ffrith 15th August 2023

As we pass by here on the way home from Eryrys, I decide to drop in here for the Broad-leaved Helleborines. It wasn`t on my radar for 2023, but it is always nice to see swathes of BLH

SHOCK HORROR!

The track leading down to the river has a new gate and the vegetation on both sides of the track has been removed as part of a widening scheme. This appears to go down to the river and way up the other side. The removal of trees is quite extensive. I can only surmise that there is some big development happening beyond the hill over the river requiring passage of heavy machinery. I can find no plans submitted to the local council but will continue to look.

There are still a good number of BLH on the road side of the gate and I am sure that in time the trackside will be repopulated from seed or rhizomes left behind.

This is not the only BLH site to suffer this year. Marford woods near Wrexham has had the unofficial entrance gated and barbed wire put up, while all the trees and vegetation is being cleared. This was, during WW2, parade grounds for the ATS stationed in Hoseley Hall. In fact my aunt was one of them. I suspect that a new house will be built here, though a nearby farm has planning for storage facilities. Again not all the BLH are likely to be affected and there could be new opportunities for them to spread to new woodland edges.

Gop Hill 16th August 2023 (SJ 08790 80005)

Late in the season it seems fitting to go out with a bang, It would appear that 2023 is a bumper year for Autumn Lady`s-tresses with reports of good numbers at sites across the UK. something to do with rain at exactly the right time for them. Anyway, Gop Hill is no exception, and I reckon that there are 10,000-20,000 in flower here. Not only that, but they are appearing right up to the fence near the top of the hill, and further across on the sides where we have not seen them other years. Are these in the new areas new plants or have they just been dormant awaiting the right weather conditions? They do look a bit shorter than those in the more familiar parts of the site. Easy to find them growing in groups and clumps. We notice that a small number of plants have a slightly more yellowish stem and they stand out from those around them. No claims for a new variety or form though.

Llanymynech Rocks, 24th August 2023 (SJ 26658 21742)

In a fit of madness, as it is a good year, we are have ascended the ridiculously steep old mineral line incline to see the Autumn Lady`s-tresses here again. Never been a massive show, but this year is better than most. It is still not a Gop Hill though. In fact they are not as easy to spot. They are starting to go over and it is a dull day. these two factors seem to have dulled the whiteness of the flowers so they just do not stand out. Even so, must have seen 50 or so in flower - all in the Welsh Quarry side. The English Quarry is given a cursory examination, but none to be seen there.