29th May 2014, Newborough Warren

Surprisingly I have not been here for seven years, but that has perhaps emphasized the subtle changes here. The site was a little disappointing, with orchid numbers low. Perhaps we have come a bit too early, but I suspect other factors have come into play. There is now quite a number of ponies grazing the dunes and slacks, while much of the area has been taken over by creeping dwarf willow. We saw a few each of Northern Marsh Orchid, Common Spotteds (as leaf rosettes), Twayblades (just coming into flower), Early March Orchids (incarnata and coccinea), and Marsh Helleborines (just coming into leaf and the only species likely to be numerous).

29th May 2014, Cors Bodeilio

A visit with the specific intentions of spotting Fly Orchids and Narrow-leaved Marsh Orchids. We were armed with some directions to a spot where Fly Orchids flower, and warnings about how sodden the site was; wellies essential! The first part of the reserve, following the boardwalk, yielded little apart from Early Marsh Orchids and some surprisingly late Early Purple Orchids still in the best of appearance. However further on and in the even more sodden parts the orchids revealed themselves.

Early Marsh Orchids var coccinea and a Common Spotted leaf rosette

Three examples of the Early Marsh Orchid var incarnata

The Heath Spotted and Early Purple Orchids, and two Narrow-leaved Marsh Orchids

and three marsh orchids that do not seem to fit a single species     and how damp it was there

 

25th May 2014, Hirnant Valley and Scabby Rock

Another attempt to find Lesser Twayblades high in the hills between Lakes Bala and Vyrnwy; and again fruitless. The ground was sodden and would have resulted in very wet feet and clothing had we not taken wellies. We spent a good while in the rain and drizzle before the rain really started and we gave up I cannot help thinking though, that not having seen one I am not entirely sure I have been looking in the right place. It will be one of those orchids where you have to `get your eye in' before they become apparent.
The way home took us through LLynclys, so a quick stop at Scabby Rock. The quarry is not fenced off, but the scrub by the path is home to Greater Butterfly Orchid, and a few were in flower and others in bud. There is another, more numerous, species with a flower spike just emerging and if I pass again I will check them out.

17th May 2014, Eryrys

A return to a site I discovered last year, but three weeks in the year earlier to take into consideration the lateness of flowering in 2013 and the earliness we are seeing in 2014. The site is a former small limestone quarry or spoil heaps. The Frog Orchids there are doing well. I estimate that if all could be found the head count could reach 200 plants. I still only found one truly reddish flowering spike, the majority being green with some quite pale. In one patch, on a slope, there was one large example, with last year's dried stem and seed pods, above a group of variously sized plants. Very tempting to think the large one was the progenitor of those below with seed spread simply by gravity down the slope. Again, a few Common Spotted Orchids and Common Twayblades could be seen emerging.

Just before reaching the village of Eryrys we saw a small clump of Early Purple Orchids, a bit past their best, on a roadside embankment. There were no others visible.

12th May 2014, Near Aberdovey

At a site overlooking the estuary and alongside a track we found the Sword Leaved Helleborines (a new one to be checked off the list). They were mainly growing on a steep slope in the shade of oak woodland, dead bracken, and this year's brambles. There were about 30 flowering spikes in one cluster, about 10 more in the immediate vicinity, and a number of non-flowering spikes. They should be good for at least another week.
Some are spotty due to something dropping them (aphid poo?), and some show last year seed pods have dispersed seed.

2nd May 2014, Gwynfryn

An early visit to this local site. The Early Purples are out, but there do not seem to be so many this year. In previous years there have been some on a north facing bank close to the stile on the lane, but this year there were none. Still, there were a fair number seen.