Bryn Alyn  7th May 2025 (SJ 2001 5890)

In keeping with my resolution to tip the balance in favour places of new places rather than those visited before I have consulted a leaflet about walks in limestone country in north east Wales; and pick Bryn Alyn as the first stop. It is near Eryrys, so a good candidate. Nothing to see in the first field apart from sheep, but once we are past them it is more rugged country and there are plenty of Early Purple Orchids, primarily at first on a rather steep downwards slope. There is a huge contrast between this habitat and the woodland of the last outing, in terms of altitude (and probably climate), sunlight, underlying geology and so on. Perhaps there is a Mountain and a Woodland sub-species with very similar phenotypes.
We continue the path and head for the limestone pavement seeing more of the same. I had hoped to see evidence of Dark Red Helleborines here, but it is unlikely and probably too early anyway.

In the other direction on the walk is the Nercwys Forest. No orchids to be seen hear as it is mainly planted spruce trees, but there are a pair of rather vocal cuckoos.

Panorama Walk 8th May 2025 (SJ 2354 4329)

The next walk from the limestone trails leaflet is the rocks that tower over Llangollen. Been here plenty of times before, looking for fossils, as a starting point to go up to Castell Dinas Bran, or just to enjoy the view. However, obviously not in May, as there is no way I could have missed the rather robust and tall Early Purple Orchids on the roadside coming from the east towards the limestone country. There are more dotted around and we take what was once the trackway of an old rope hauled quarry incline up above the road. On the slope above the corner with the stream are groupings of 35 and 53 Early Purples. I have never seen them so numerous and so closely packed together. The reason may lie in the predominant vegetation later in the summer. Bracken will cover these slopes and probably be well taller than the orchids and their ripening seed capsules. Most seed will just drop to the ground, protected from nay breeze.
The EPOs growing in this area are all a good size, some over 40 cm tall, and a nice rich purple colour. There is little variation suggesting they were derived from one colonisation with little input from other colonies. I do find one specimen that has more dark splodges on the leaves than green areas. Orchis mascula var. cruenta perhaps?

 
The roadside Early Purples
 
A pair of particularly tall plants and the heavily marked leaves on another.
 
Two of the huge clumps of closely packed orchids.

Trevor Rocks 8th May 2024 (SJ 2282 4324)

Okay, so this is only just under a mile away with similar terrain and along the same road, but I am counting it as a different site because the Early Purple Orchids growing here seem different. Panorama had lots of similar looking robust plants while here there is more colour variation, they are smaller, and look a tad more delicate. They are growing under the shelter of a hedge and encroaching into a horse field, which may be a factor. As far as I am concerned these are two different colonies with no intermixing. I do like the one orchid with an almost perfect rosette of leaves.

Silverdale Lots, 11th May 2023 (SD 45790 75156) 

It may look as if I am breaking my new sites resolution with the next three sites, but if I am going to keep to it in future I want one last visit here, with the other two sites today taken in due purely for their proximity after a 125 mile drive. This is a fantastic site, but after three other visits here there is absolutely nothing more to see, All I can say about this year is that there seems to be a few more White Early Purple Orchids around, and that this year it looks like there is more demarkation between the Early Purples at one end of the field and the Green-Winged at the other. Is is a better display than previous years? I do not think so.

Sandside 11th May 2023 (SD 4829 8117) 

Again nothing really extra to report here. Flowering spikes of Fly Orchids seem a few less than last year. but it looks like flowering is a bit later this year going by a clump of Common Twayblades. Last year they had started to open up flowers, but this year spike are just appearing. If I never come here again it will mean one less person tempted to trample the grass. The Fly Orchids are so hard to spot it is likely that some will get crushed each year.

Warton Quarry 11th May 2024 (SD 4913 7239) 

We’ve been here three times previously; in 2012 there were some Bee Orchids which had disappeared by 2015. Only Northern Marsh orchids were seen then. Both these were June visits. In May 2023 there was nothing to see at all. Today there is just a couple of Early Purple Orchids. I doubt I’ll bother with this site again unless a profusion of Dark Red Helleborines are reported. Even then the thought of the path to the top of the quarry face may put me off!

In the spirit of looking for new sites I thought that Big Covert, which is close to Bryn Alyn, might be a good subject. We found the way in at the village of Henllan, and all looked good. All old woodland, shade and sunlight, limestone underfoot, and plenty of beech trees. Absolutely nothing!

A really bad cold then interrupted my orchid searches. I really did not want to go out armed with loads of tissues and having coughing fits.

I will, one day, have to return here a bit later. There does seem to be a thriving colony of Dark Red Helleborines; and what is more, they are down below so no climbing to the top required.

Nant Alyn 21st May 2024 (SJ 1976 6615)

Okay, so working on the principle that if I cannot find a new site with old favourites, perhaps and old site may throw up something new. We have not been here since 2015 and then only in July. I am hoping to add to the tally of a single specimen for Bird`s-nest Orchids, but there is nothing today. However, the Green-flowered Helleborines are appearing, and that looks very much like Broad-leaved Helleborine nearby. The former have been seen here before in moderate numbers, but the latter is a new find. The GFH do not have a purplish base to the stem which is the best identifier at this point in its growth.

      
Two of the Green-flowered and one of the Broad-leaved Helleborines

Hope Park in the Past 24th May 2024 (SJ 3003 5853) 

An ambitious project to reutilise an extensive old sand and gravel pit. Not only can you hire equipment to go kayaking and paddle-boarding on the lake, but a full sized replica auxilliary Roman fort is being constructed. A Roman festival week is an opportunity to check out the fort and see what orchids are around.

We take the path to the fort after crossing River Alyn and passing between a sandy area and the newt conservation area I spot a helleborine or three coming up. Not a hint of a flower yet, but its appearance with paired leaves, the general habitat, and proximity to Alyn Waters leads me to consider these to be Dune Helleborines. Perhaps another confirmatory visit later in the year. After the fort we take a walk around the lake, and right at the far end, in front of a bench, are a mass of Bee Orchids just coming into flower. Well over 50 plants with flower spikes. No varieties seen, but I do like that the pale pink sepals also have a very pale margin. With so many of these it would appear that the colony has developed from the seeding of one plant. Nearby a couple of Common Spotted Orchids are also coming into flower.

Alyn Waters Country Park 26th May 2024 (SJ 31995 54686) 

I can be excused return visits here as it on my doorstep near enough, and I am following the Bee Orchids here with interest. A couple of years ago I commented on how they colony or colonies appear to be migrating with an ariel image.

Basically I originally found them at yellow, but after a couple of years they were at green, followed by orange and latterly at red. Now I find none in any of these areas, but at blue they are on the increase. Last year perhaps 50, this year 200+. With so many flower spikes just coming up they are impossible to count. They seem now seem to be spreading within this blue to where the ground is just a matter of 2 feet lower than where the plants were restricted to last year. Again the colony is migrating from higher ground to marginally lower ground. In the photo below you can see the flower spikes (just about) down to the centre of the field of view. Half way down the ground gradually slopes downward, and there are no spikes in shot; but a careful exam around that area does reveal the occasional plant. I expect more here next year.

Summerhayes devotes a paragraph or two about how Bee Orchids fluctuate wildly in numbers from year to year, but offers no explanation. He even states that this species takes the fluctuations to extremes. One reason put forward is that flowering uses so many resources that the bulbs need a rest for a year or two to build up reserves. Do they only flower once and depend upon one year’s seed to repopulate a spot a few years later. No explanation satisfies the migration of colonies seen here.
Anyway there are a good number coming up this year. The Common Twayblades are more like a weed here, and popping up in small numbers in places where I have not seen them before

Maes y Pant 30th May 2024(SJ 35397 55187)  

In truth, we are a little too early to visit here, but did so anyway. Only one Bee Orchid to be seen in flower in the orchard, another in bud down below in the woods. a few Common Twayblades and Common Spotted Orchids also in bud, and the Dune Helleborines coming along nicely.

Minera Quarry 31st May 2024 (SJ 25156 52172) 

Another local attraction where I am following the fortunes of certain species. This time it is the Frog Orchids. There is a scattering of them in their usual haunt nearest and above the parking area, with most showing no reddish colouration. They are a bit depleted up under the bushes where prevuiously I had found over a dozen. At the next spot, discovered by us three years ago, the hazel bush they grew under has been hacked back down to stumps and there is no sign of them. Trampled or lack of cover?
We therefore head to where we have seen them later in the year, up above the main quarry. Later in the year these are pigmented forms, but those in flower now are much like the other we saw today. I have offered an opinion that there are two populations of Frog Orchids here in the quarry. Pale, early flowering and pigmented later flowering. I may have to revise this. Do these above the quarry persist until July getting coloured through the summer weeks? I have noted where these grow and may return later in the year.
Also up above the quarry is a colony of Early Purple Orchids, just at the final stages of flowering. Elsewhere we see Common Twayblades and Common Spotted Orchids just about to flower, but no sign of any of the Fragrants. These seem to hang back and suddenly shoot up. There is a clump of Broad-leaved Helleborines with flower spikes just appearing, right by the old lime kiln. Never noticed these before, but they should look good in full flower.

 
Anybody recognise the ant species on photo one?