Minera Quarry 10th July 2013

On our trip up to the north east we did a detour to see a rare hybrid that I would be lucky so see again. but typically we have just got home and there are reports of one right on my doorstep. The plant in question is beyond a safety fence, but in all honesty there is room for a full size tennis court between the fence and the rim of the quarry. It is not difficult to spot due to it`s remarkable colour. This plant is much darker than the D. x mixta seen in Durham, and I am not alone in thinking it may be an undescribed hybrid of Frog Orchid x Northern Marsh Orchid or D. X venusta, both of which are common in Minera. I must add that we are in the minority. It is growing some distance from other Frog Orchids in the quarry which makes me think that there must be more close by - indeed there are old records for such but I have not been able to find them.

The Marsh Fragrant x Common Spotted hybrid is still there and also some Southern Marsh Orchids flowering rather late. One Pyramidalis Orchid has forgotten which way is up!

The walk up to this area of the quarry showed what a great diversity of Common Spotted Orchids there is. These fantastic specimen all grew a couple of feet away from each other, and I am sure that if they were garden roses they would all have different names!

Alyn Waters Country Park 14th July 2021

Just a quick visit to see how the Dune Helleborines are doing. but it is Broad-leaved Helleborines that, though much fewer in number, catch my eye. These are more advanced than their cousins, and try as I may. I can’t see any sign of hybridisation despite the two species growing side by side. A ‘new’ Common Twayblade jungle has appeared behind the visitor centre.

Runcorn area 17th July 2021 (SJ 52792 79639) 

We came here last year, but I have heard that there are more Dune Helleborines flowering this year so it is a return visit. Firstly though, the open area, formerly a chemical dump, is very dry. There are a good number of Marsh Helleborines, but few Marsh Fragrant Orchids to be see - probably because they are going over quite early, with some already setting seed. In the woodland the rubbish at the fly tip is still there, but worse is that we are pestered by flies. After finding a small number of Dune Helleborines we give up. The flies are part of the problem, but mainly it is the first day of a heat wave, and we are really getting over-heated. Surprisingly however, we also find a single clump of three Broad-leaved helleborines.

Clyburn Moss 24th July 2021 (NY 58164 25610) 

It has been about a year since I last saw an entirely new UK orchid species and it is time to correct this. This site is well known for it`s Creeping Lady`s-tresses and the time has come to visit. I have been putting this off for a number of reasons:
   1. It is quite a distance to travel; nearly in Scotland, and is it a day trip or could it be part of a holiday trip. Well, we passed not far away on the return from Cumbria two weeks ago, but I did not have firm directions as to where to go. I do now.
   2. It is a moss, and therefore boggy, with tales orchideers going into the mud thigh deep. However, it is just past the heatwave and should be relatively dry.
   3. Woods with pools and so on harbour gnats, and I swell up big time with gnat bites. I will give the insect repellant another go.
   4. We have had trips down south with numerous orchid sites to visit in Gloucestershire and the Chilterns in other years. These have had mixed success I must add.

So it is a trip up and up the M6 with a stop at Tebay services to stock up on artisan sausage rolls before entering Clyburn Moss. Any doubts or worries are quickly dispelled, and we follow the paths and boardwalks unhindered by mud or flies. The part where you venture into the trees is flagged and patches of CLTs are also flagged. We actually find some that are not flagged and I stop counting at 50 plants in flower. There is even one spot with 9 in flower but these are starting to brown off. I have to say that in the woods they do not look over-impressive. Despite being white they do not stand out well- it is a sort of white that does not catch the eye. BUT in the camera viewfinder they do impress. So much hairy detail to be seen, and a glowing whiteness too. What I do notice is that around virtually flowering plant is a swarm of young or blind rosettes.

Ainsdale 27th July 2021 (SD2996111219)

I am amazed that it three years since were last here, and that was shortly after there had been some fire damage caused by disposable barbecues apparently. The woods have recovered completely since then and it would take some forensic inspections to find any evidence of fire. There does seem to be more scrubby vegetation around. The orchids have not been affected either. We are a bit late for the Dune Helleborines, which seem absent from the woodland-dune interface, but there are some fine multi-stemmers under the pines. Green-flowered Helleborines seem very pendulous and not one photo of an open flower full-on was possible.

Minera Quarry 29th July 2018

Back here yet again to have a look at the Late-flowering Frog Orchids. First off we head for the little hummock that hid the Big Frog from 2020 from the world. We cannot find it until suddenly it is spotted - a quite a sorry state it is in. It has nothing like the flower pigmentation of last year, it is little more than normal sized, and the leaves are blackened. However, there is a second spike, and last year’s dried up stem and seed pods are there. This is probably due to the rather recent heat wave occurring at an important time in the flower’s development. What does concern me is that something similar happened to the oversized Early-flowering Frog Orchids at Eryrys - they were never seen again, and the same fate may happen here.
We are intending to look at more of the Frog orchids seen late in the season last year, but the occasional drop of rain has suddenly become proper rain, and very soon it is absolutely tipping down and we head back to the car, arriving soaked to the skin. This may be a blessing, because those other Frog Orchids are in a more exposed area and may have been even more affected by the weather.