Snippets of Wealth - Sun 19th May 2019 - Park Wood and below - Hutton Roof Village - Rock Rose/Rinnenkarren/Ribwort Plantain/

Rinnenkarren - Hutton Roof (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Rakes, Hutton Roof 19th May 2019

Today I wanted to check on the progress of the Common Rock Rose on the banking below Park Wood, and they are doing really well with a good opening spread throughout the banking, I just hope that they are still out in force for when the Northern Brown Argus butterfly arrives. 

Plantago lanceolata (Ribwort Plantain) Click over to enlarge
Photo: Plain Quarry, Dalton on 19th May 2019

Just called in to Plain Quarry to check out the Fairy Foxglove which are stunning at the moment, but was really surprised to find this supersize (to one metre) Plantago lanceolata (Ribwort Plantain) in the verges of the car park (see photo above).

Erinus alpinus - (Fairy Foxglove) Click over to enlarge
Photo: Plain Quarry, Dalton Crags

The Fairy Foxglove is now showing at its best!

 Helianthemum nummularium (Common Rock Rose) Click over to enlarge)
Photo: below Park Wood, Hutton Roof on 19th May 2019

 Helianthemum nummularium (Common Rock Rose) Click over to enlarge)
Photo: below Park Wood, Hutton Roof on 19th May 2019

 Helianthemum nummularium (Common Rock Rose) Click over to enlarge)
Photo: below Park Wood, Hutton Roof on 19th May 2019

Helianthemum nummularium (Common Rock Rose) Click over to enlarge)

Photo: below Park Wood, Hutton Roof on 19th May 2019

Again this area is so fruitful with primrose and cowslips in the bottom, but the banking shown above are now just full of Helianthemum nummularium Common Rock Rose and Salad Burnet and occasional Spring Cinquefoil.

It is so rich and probably the largest expanse of Rock Rose I have ever seen. The area is already established with the rare Northern Brown Argus butterfly which will soon be able to take advantage of this fabulous spectacle.
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Lysimachia nemorum (Yellow Pimpernel) - Click over to enlarge
Photo: Park Wood, Hutton Roof 19th May 2019

Pedicularis sylvatica (Marsh Lousewort) (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: below Park Wood, Hutton Roof on 19th May 2019

One of Hutton Roofs Daphne Mezereone - Click over to enlarge
Photo: Hutton Roof on 19th May 2019
See next photo below showing fruits

One of Hutton Roofs Daphne Mezereone - Click over to enlarge
Photo: Hutton Roof on 19th May 2019
Photo shows fruits 
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Lotus corniculatus (Birdsfoot Trefoil) and Trifolium dubium (Lesser Trefoil) taking over a anthill - Click over to enlarge
Photo: above Crag Foot, Hutton Roof on 19th May 2019

Trifolium dubium (Lesser Trefoil) taking over a anthill - Click over to enlarge
Photo: above Crag Foot, Hutton Roof on 19th May 2019

 Ajuga reptans (Bugle) in Park Wood - Click over to enlarge
Photo: Bugle in Park Wood, Hutton Roof on 19th May 2015

 Ajuga reptans (Bugle) in Park Wood - Click over to enlarge
Photo: Bugle in Park Wood, Hutton Roof on 19th May 2015

Alchemilla vulgaris agg. Ladys Mantle (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 20th May 2019

Snippets of Wealth - Sat 18th May 2019 - Hutton Roof Common and Burton Fell/Heath Milkwort/Fly Orchid/Dark Red Helleborine

Sat 18th May 2019 - Hutton Roof Common and Burton Fell

First job was checking out the large amounts of variable coloured Milkwort which ranged from white, blue and white, green and white to china blue to deep royal blue. The only regular colour I could not find amongst them which would have completed the colours was "pink".

I must have examined over 20 specimens to see if they had opposite side basal leaves (like a propeller) and sure enough they all qualified for Polygala serpyllifolia (Heath Milkwort) both on the Hutton Roof Common and again sampled populations on Burton Fell. 

Polygala serpyllifolia (Heath Milkwort) - Click over to enlarge
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019
Shows the low down basal leaves set at true opposite sides of the stem (like a propeller which confirms it to be "Heath Milkwort".

 Polygala serpyllifolia (Heath Milkwort) - Click over to enlarge
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019
Shows both the leaf structure together with the lower down basal leaves
 set at true opposite sides of the stem which confirms "Heath Milkwort".
A nice royal blue specimen

 Polygala serpyllifolia (Heath Milkwort) - Click over to enlarge
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019
Shows the low down basal leaves set at true opposite sides of the stem and look like a propeller which confirms "Heath Milkwort".

 Polygala serpyllifolia (Heath Milkwort) - Click over to enlarge
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019
Shows both the leaf structure together with the lower down basal leaves
 set at true opposite sides of the stem which confirms "Heath Milkwort".
A nice light purple and white specimen

Polygala serpyllifolia (Heath Milkwort) - Click over to enlarge
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019
A nice white with green specimen

 Polygala serpyllifolia (Heath Milkwort) - Click over to enlarge
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019
Shows both white and blue close together

Polygala serpyllifolia (Heath Milkwort) - Click over to enlarge
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019
Shows white collective

 Polygala serpyllifolia (Heath Milkwort) - Click over to enlarge
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019
Shows light blue collective

Polygala serpyllifolia (Heath Milkwort) - Click over to enlarge
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019
Shows nice blue flower with white

Moving on from the Milkwort, one of my main objectives today was to check out the Fly Orchids. They are coming through at least 3 sites were I visited. They are doing well and in the majority of cases they just have one flower and will be about 2 weeks off their best. I did manage to take photos of a couple of them

Ophrys insectifera (Fly Orchid) Click over to enlarge
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019

Ophrys insectifera (Fly Orchid) Click over to enlarge
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019


And now I moved on and checked out our atrorubens (Dark Red Helleborines and helleborine (Broad Leaved Helleborine) orchids.  Some of them are now showing and were about 3" high, but a lot of them were still not showing. Maybe I should be a little concerned in that the ones not showing are the ones that suffered last year from the draught and were killed off part way through their early day growth, so I guess its a wait and see period over the coming 10 days. It might just be they need a little longer.  But below are a few photos. I also decided to have lunch and sat down close to populations no.9 and within minutes a Hare leapt up and out of a nearby Juniper bush and I don't know who was the more startled! it must have been hiding there and ran within a metre of my feet. I never saw Mr. Hare at all last year so obviously he his still about! 

 Epipactis helleborine var: variagated (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Hutton Roof 18th May 2019

Epipactis atrorubens Specimen 11 (Dark Red Helleborine) Click over to enlarge
Photo: Hutton Roof 18th May 2019

Epipactis atrorubens (Dark Red Helleborine) Click over to enlarge
Photo: Hutton Roof 18th May 2019

 Epipactis atrorubens (Dark Red Helleborine) Click over to enlarge
Photo: Hutton Roof 18th May 2019

 Epipactis atrorubens (Dark Red Helleborine) Click over to enlarge
Photo: Hutton Roof 18th May 2019

You might not think it looking at the above photo,
 but this was the "albiflora" back in 2016 which
produced the beautiful flower you can see in the next photo below
although today it looks very much Dark Red Helleborine

Epipactis atrorubens var: albiflora back in 2016 (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Taken by Graham Preston - Hutton Roof 

Epipactis helleborine (Broad Leaved Helleborine)
Photo: Hutton Roof on 18th May 2019

There are several of these rare "Whitebeams" on the common and they all have their slight variations on one another.  The species is called Sorbus lancastriensis and is a speciality of the local area. I am told the best way to tell the difference from a regular Whitebeam is to count the veins in the leaf and if you count between 8 to 10 pairs it is likely to be the rare lancastriensis, but if the pairs exceed this amount it is more than likely to be the regular Whitebeam.

Convallaria majalis (Lily of the Valley) Click over to enlarge
Photo: Burton Fell, Hutton Roof on 18th May 2019

Checking out lots more Convallaria majalis (Lily of the Valley) today which is now at about its best but so hard to photograph with being white. Also today checking out Polygonatum odoratum (Angular Solomons Seal) but this population today still had its flowers erect before they droop to hanging, so expect another 10 days at least. 

Thalictrum minus (Lesser Meadow Rue) Click over to enlarge
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019

The beautiful Thalictrum minus (Lesser Meadow Rue) is just coming out and always looks well, although it will be another week or two before the flowers appear.

Snippets of Wealth - 16th May 2019 GAIT BARROW (Ladys Slipper/Robert Ashworths records/Orange Tip photo/Caterpillars cocooned/first SMALL HEATH butterflies/first LILY OF THE VALLEY etc

Orange Tip male feeding on Red Campion (Click over to enlarge)
Shows both forewing and patterned underwing.
Photo: Slape Lane bridleway on 16th May 2019

Thanks to Robert Ashworth (Kendal) who has kindly offered his recent Hutton Roof records as follows 14th May 2019:

Birds

Whitethroat - now 3 singing birds on deforested (Dalton Crags).

Stonechat - still at least 3 males (Dalton Crags).

Spotted flycatcher - 1 in trees adjacent to car park (Plain Quarry).

Butterflies and moths

Orange tip

Brimstone

Green veined white

Speckled yellow

Brown silver-line

Orchids

At least 2 fly orchids starting to flower. 1 flower open on each plant.

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I have this week been getting asked by several people when the Lady's Slipper Orchids will be out at Gait Barrows.  I have been over this morning to check and expect from what I saw will be at least 2 weeks away. Here is a collage of photos from this morning which should help anyone interested to judge.

There will be no open day at Gait Barrows this year on account of the Ladys Slippers not doing well.

Cypripedium calceolus - Lady's Slipper Orchid (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Gait Barrow 16th May 2019

Gorgeous pavements on Gait Barrows (Click over to enlarge)
Photos: Gait Barrow 16th May 2019

Slape Lane bridleway and Lancelot Clark Storth (CWT)  1300hrs to 1600hrs

It was interesting to see all these web cocoons which held lots of caterpillars.  I am not sure to what species they belonged but the cocoons were thick and strong and wondered just what had made these, there were lots of them which you can see in the following photos.

It has now been suggested that the caterpillars may be from the 'Bird Cherry Ermine Moth' (thanks Dave Bickerton)

This is a example of the leaf of the shrub/tree in which the caterpillars were seen through a thick yet transparent cocoon (see below)

A cocoon of about 3 to 4" which have caterpillars wrapped up within them, see other photos below

A cocoon of about 3 to 4" which have caterpillars wrapped up within them, see other photos below

A cocoon of about 3 to 4" which have caterpillars wrapped up within them, see other photos below

A cocoon of about 3 to 4" which have caterpillars wrapped up within them, see other photos below

A cocoon of about 3 to 4" which have caterpillars wrapped up within them, see other photos below

A cocoon of about 3 to 4" which have caterpillars wrapped up within them, see other photos below

A cocoon of about 3 to 4" which have caterpillars wrapped up within them, see other photos below

A cocoon of about 3 to 4" which have caterpillars wrapped up within them. 

Also great today to see the first hatch of Small Heath butterflies with two being seen in Lancelot Clark Storth (CWT), also had 3 Speckled Woods, 3 Orange Tips, 2 Brimstones, 2 Large White, Small Tortoiseshell 1, Peacock 3 also nice to see and hear singing away, Chiffchaffs 3, Blackcap 1, Willow Warblers several.

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Today had my first Lily of the Valley whilst crossing over Lancelot Clark Storth (CWT) also a couple of fly orchids are showing at least one flower each.

Convallaria majalis (Lily of the Valley) Click over to enlarge
Photo: Lancelot Clark Storth (CWT) on 16th May 2019

Convallaria majalis (Lily of the Valley) Click over to enlarge
Photo: Lancelot Clark Storth (CWT) on 16th May 2019

Convallaria majalis (Lily of the Valley) Click over to enlarge
Photo: Lancelot Clark Storth (CWT) on 16th May 2019

Polygonatum odoratum (Angular Solomon's Seal) Click over to enlarge
Photo: Lancelot Clark Storth (CWT), Hutton Roof 16th May 2019

The Hutton Roof 'odoratums' are just days away from looking their best. Maybe a week. 

Arabis hirsuta (Hairy Rockcress) (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Lancelot Clark Storth (CWT), Hutton Roof on 16th May 2019

There is so much on offer with the above photo showing Arabis hirsuta (Hairy Rockcress) amongst an array of the beautiful Herb Robert.  Although the Rockcress will die off in a week or two, the Geranium robertianum (Herb Robert) will continue in flower and beauty for most of the summer months and into the start of winter, it's a win win win for the small 'geranium'

Boulder behind BAP memorial seat in Lancelot Clark Storth 
Photo: Lancelot Clark Storth on 16th May 2019
Lots of Rue Leaved Saxifrage

Epipactis helleborine (Broad Leaved Helleborine) click over to enlarge
Photo: Lancelot Clark Storth (CWT) Hutton Roof on 16th May 2019

This is showing the progress of the Broad Leaved Helleborine, I check out several which were all more or less about this size.  It always makes me wonder why the Helleborine is in advance of the Dark Red Helleborine at the start of play, yet it will be about 3 weeks after the Dark Red Helleborine that the Broad Leaved reach maturity.  I guess this may play a part in why we get the rare 'hybrid' Epipactis schmalhauseneii.