Indiana Dave and the quest for the Butterfly Orchid 31st May.

Great Butterfly Orchid

Another Greater Butterfly Orchid,

and another Greater Butterfly Orchid!


Following a quick check at Wanlip Meadows LWT in the morning,I noted that the Garganeys were still on the scrape.
Moving on to Cloud Wood LWT, near Coalville I went to look for some orchids, but in particularly to check to see if any Greater Butterfly Orchids were in flower.
Walking through the wood, I spotted a few Common Spotted Orchids coming into flower along the rides.
Moving further round the wood, I soon spotted a few Greater Butterfly Orchids just off the path. Treading careful, I counted at least sixty flowering orchids and as you can imagine I took quite a few photos of this elegant flower.
Looking around the surrounding area, I also found at least five Common Twayblade and good numbers of Early Purple Orchid, of which the majority had gone over by now.
Whilst photographing the orchids, I received a text message from Jim Graham to let me know that he had just seen five Corn Buntings at Orton-on-the-Hill.
So I decided that after checking the rest of the wood, I would go over to Orton-on-the-Hill to look for the Corn Buntings.
Checking out the rest of the wood, I spotted a few more Common Spotted Orchids and a single Broad leaved Helleborine which was slowly coming into flower.

Driving over to Orton, I met Jim by the roadside in the usual spot for Corn Buntings just out of the village, which overlooks the surrounding cornfields.
Over the next half an hour or so we watched up to three Corn Buntings singing on nearby telegraphs wires and bushes (Jim had seen at least five birds earlier).
I took a few record shots of the Corn Buntings, and it was pleasing to know that Corn Buntings a threatened species nationally was still occurring locally not to far for home.