Snippets of Wealth - Wednesday 5th June 2019 - Hutton Roof/Fly Orchid/Atrorubens/Small Heath Butterfly

I wanted to check on both the Fly Orchids and the Dark Red Helleborines to see how they were progressing..... It was a good job because most of the Fly Orchids had already gone over, although several just had one flower still left in good order.

 Fly Orchid on Hutton Roof
Photo: On Hutton Roof 5th June 2019

Small Heath Butterfly on Hutton Roof
5th June 2019

It was cold and the Small Heath butterfly allowed me to get really close to take a photo, it was obviously not flitty today, more docile.

Carline Thistle on Hutton Roof
5th June 2019

Close up of the Carline Thistle flower which are coming through almost everywhere at the moment.

Here is Specimen 11b and 11c - Schmalhauseneii
Photo: Hutton Roof on 5th June 2019

A fine specimen No.11 - Schmalhauseneii
Photo: Hutton Roof on 5th June 2019

Epipactis helleborine (variagated)
Photo: Hutton Roof on 5th June 2019

I did a quick check over to see just how many of our prized specimens have survived last years draught summer.  I can now confirm that we have lost at least 10 prized specimens, but I guess we have got away lightly with just 10 because far more than that went down early last year (probably 20 plus).

The specimens we have lost for this year are: No.8 (Schmal), No.9 population (1 down), No.17 populations trio d,e,f - now just one have survived eg: No.17d,  Specimen 55 (our tallest, oldest lempet is down), Chlorantha Specimen 1 is down, Specimen escarp No.13 (our second prized lengthy lempet is down), Escarp No.8 (rare pallens) is down.  Several that were damaged last year are very late this year so far....