Earlier in the day we had a day out to Grasmere and decided to have a walk along the "Coffin Route" which goes from Rydal to Grasmere, but we always do it in reverse order.
It was so nice to notice Enchanter's Nightshade which always seems to occupy the road verges and sure enough here was plenty, but I have never noticed it before with such large leaves which must have been at least 5" in length - quite extroadinary:
Whilst crossing the Wordsworth tarn, were it is said Wordsworth used to do his ice skating, which is nowadays completely covered in by the encroachment of quillworts and the like, I did notice some white flower looking through and thought that this perhaps could be Marsh Bedstraw so I took one or two photos:
Marsh Bedstraw
Marsh Bedstraw
Marsh Bedstraw
Marsh Bedstraw
Photo: somewhere between Grasmere and Rydal via the Coffin Route
Photo: somewhere between Grasmere and Rydal via the Coffin Route
Painted Lady Butterfly (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: somewhere between Grasmere and Rydal via the Coffin Route
Photo: somewhere between Grasmere and Rydal via the Coffin Route
Helsington Barrows near Brigsteer
6pm onwards......
It was lovely to be invited and in the company of my old friend Brian Gomm whilst we checked out Helsington.
Checking out Epipactis atrorubens (Dark Red Helleborine). We did a check over the Northern part at the point near to were it has it's boundary with Scout Scar. We did find plenty of nice specimens which probably numbered less than 100, which seemed quite a far cry from the 2,100 I was told about earlier in the week that had been recorded on their annual count.
One thing I was so eager to check was just how much the variant 'bicolor' was effecting the local atrorubens, but checking within all these specimens I never found one!! which again came as a surprise.
It was also great to see all the butterflies with lots of Dark Green Fritillaries, Small Tortoiseshells, 2xRinglets, 2x Red Admirals, 5x Painted Ladies, 2x Common Blues, 4x Dark Green Fritillaries.
Also found a well gone over Fly Orchid and one for the records together with a 'going over' lovely specimen of a small Lesser Butterfly Orchid. The area was well covered with Wild Thyme, and lots of Dropwort and Lady's Bedstraw, Limestone Bedstraw, and a nice turn up for the book was a small colony of asplenium viride (Green Spleenwort fern) which again I duly recorded the area. Here are one or two photos from this evening.
Epipactis atrorubens (Dark Red Helleborine)
Epipactis atrorubens (Dark Red Helleborine)
Asplenium viride (Green Spleenwort)
Asplenium viride (Green Spleenwort)
Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly
Lesser Butterfly Orchid
Helsington Barrows near Brigsteer
6pm onwards......
It was lovely to be invited and in the company of my old friend Brian Gomm whilst we checked out Helsington.
Checking out Epipactis atrorubens (Dark Red Helleborine). We did a check over the Northern part at the point near to were it has it's boundary with Scout Scar. We did find plenty of nice specimens which probably numbered less than 100, which seemed quite a far cry from the 2,100 I was told about earlier in the week that had been recorded on their annual count.
One thing I was so eager to check was just how much the variant 'bicolor' was effecting the local atrorubens, but checking within all these specimens I never found one!! which again came as a surprise.
It was also great to see all the butterflies with lots of Dark Green Fritillaries, Small Tortoiseshells, 2xRinglets, 2x Red Admirals, 5x Painted Ladies, 2x Common Blues, 4x Dark Green Fritillaries.
Also found a well gone over Fly Orchid and one for the records together with a 'going over' lovely specimen of a small Lesser Butterfly Orchid. The area was well covered with Wild Thyme, and lots of Dropwort and Lady's Bedstraw, Limestone Bedstraw, and a nice turn up for the book was a small colony of asplenium viride (Green Spleenwort fern) which again I duly recorded the area. Here are one or two photos from this evening.
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