Great to see a colony of seven Common Twayblades in the dunes this afternoon - not a particularly rare orchid, but it can be hard to find on the coast away from the masses that thrive on the meadows at Altcar Rifle Range.
One of the flower spikes had already been snapped off by some idiot, so I won't be specific about the location - God that behaviour makes me angry.
Always liked the large paddle-shaped leaves and the way some plants have big flower spikes and others little stunty ones.
Admittedly they ain't particularly colourful, but any orchid is good to see (although I could argue the point when it comes to Green Flowered Helleborine).
Pyramidal starting to flower now too, as the many Bee Orchids begin to go over.
Marsh Helleborines etc won't be far behind the Pyramidals.
But the confusing group of "marsh orchids" seems to have put in a poor performance this year on the dunes at least, while there have been gazillions of 'em at Marshside again.
Sarnie Terns fishing offshore at Ainsdale, with a few large flocks of Dunlins joining the Sanderling on the tideline - with the poo-storm heading our way over the next few days it might actually be worth a seawatch by Friday.
Plenty of Four Spot Chasers out, with Blue Tailed and Common Blue Damsels, and one slack had no fewer than three Broad Bodied Chasers over it today, including a cracking male.
Thanks to LIam Creedon from Butterfly Conservation for sending me the following press release about mothing, an activity which I'll have to suspend for the next few days if the rain comes as forecast.
"A previously extinct moth has successfully re-colonised large swathes of the UK thanks to wildlife-friendly brownfield sites.
The Small Ranunculus, an intricately mottled grey, black and gold moth became extinct in Britain prior to World War Two, but started to appear once again in the late 1990s.
These early immigrants from continental Europe established a foothold on brownfield sites such as abandoned quarries and spread along roadside verges.
"With little interference, the moth has now re-colonised large areas of South East England and become established in South Wales as well as being sighted as far afield as Lancashire and Northamptonshire.
The Small Ranunculus favours brownfield sites as they typically hold plants that the moth's larvae feed upon such as the Prickly Lettuce and Great Lettuce.
Brownfield sites such as quarries, disused railway lines, gravel pits and spoil tips are important for the recovery of this species and key habitats for many threatened and common moths and other wildlife.
But in spite of their wildlife value, brownfield habitats are under-recorded and threatened by Government policy.
Moth Night 2012, organised by Atropos and Butterfly Conservation, the annual celebration of moths and moth recording, is focussing on the biodiversity benefits of brownfield sites.
Events across the UK will survey moths found on brownfield sites, reveal important biodiversity hotspots and help map the return of the Small Ranunculus.
Other moths that rely upon brownfield sites include the Six-belted Clearwing which mimics a wasp, rarities such as the Four-spotted, Wormwood and Bright Wave and more common species like the dramatic looking Elephant Hawk-moth and the Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet.
Richard Fox, Butterfly Conservation Surveys Manager said: "Brownfield sites provide some of the best wildlife habitats in the UK for moths, butterflies and other wildlife and yet are highly threatened by redevelopment and bland landscaping schemes.
"We hope that Moth Night 2012 will raise awareness of the beautiful moths that live in these under-rated habitats and improve our knowledge of the wildlife importance of brownfield sites."
Atropos editor Mark Tunmore said: "We hope that as many people will get involved in recording moths as possible during Britain's' annual celebration of moths by submitting sightings via the website.
"It doesn't matter in what environment or part of the country you live in - you will have moths in close proximity and you may be stunned by how spectacular some of these are."
Moth Night 2012 runs from 21-23 June and will include a series of daytime searches and night-time recording across the UK".
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Celebrate National Moth Night at RSPB Marshside nature reserve on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 June.
This annual celebration is the perfect opportunity to delve into the amazing world of moths. As dark falls, the reserve will welcome a multicoloured splendour of elephants, sharks and flames and many other varieties of moths all found roaming the reserve at night.
The event takes place at Sandgrounders’ hide on Saturday 23 June from 9.30pm to 11.45pm as they switch on the humane light traps to encourage the moths in. RSPB staff and volunteers will be on hand to catch and identify any moths as they come to the light. On Sunday, arrive at 6.30am to watch as they open the traps to uncover and identify the catch. Please bring sunglasses as the lights are very bright.
Alex Pigott, RSPB reserve warden, said ‘RSPB Marshside is home to an array of fantastic wildlife species, and as night falls, some of the more elusive ones come to life. ’Our moth events offer a rare opportunity to see some of these beautiful species which are usually only out and about when we are tucked up asleep in bed.’
Each event is £2 RSPB members/ £3 non RSPB members (under 18 free). Sunday is FREE if you attend the Saturday evening event as well.
Booking is essential due to limited places, please call The Ribble Discovery Centre on 01253 796292.
I am currently holidaying in the S/W Cotswolds, I saw a Twayblade yesterday, well over. Plenty of Common Spotted, Fragrant and Pyramidal Orchids (Pyramidal just coming out).
I went down to Birkdale 2 or 3 weeks ago & could not find a single Bee Orchid, but here I found them just coming out (in a nice open sunny site).
On arrival last Sat evening we sat in the holiday cottage looking straight out onto the feeder, with 2 pairs Bullfinches, Nuthatch, variety of tits & common garden birds,a squirrel & a Roe Deer. 100yds down the road saw Badger, Fox & a deer family 2 nights ago.
Cheers
Les