A day of Monkeys, Ladies.........
Flies, Butterflies, Common spotted, Early purple, Green winged, and Common twayblade ........orchids!!
Today has been one of those days I swear I will NEVER forget! My intrepid orchid hunting friends and I left Horsham really early and made our way over to Kent.
Our first stop was a very uninspiring tiny lay by beside a windy road, but 2 fields across from the gate we came across the very rare Monkey orchid Orchis simia, (which I have used as today's main Blip). It is found in less than 5 locations in the UK and is protected by law. The name comes from the flowers which do indeed look like little monkeys, complete with limbs and a little tail (i will add a shot of a single flower in my extras).
From this location we went onto another, where after a 2 mile walk we came to this truly amazing bank literally covered with large and totally impressive Lady orchids Orchis purpurea (again I will add shots). The Lady orchid is robust reaching a height of 30 - 100cm , with an impressive inflorescence of up to 50 flowers each looking like a miniature little lady with a dark coloured bonnet. Like Common spotted orchids they come in a variety of shades and shapes and I could honestly have stayed there in that amazing place watching the Duke of \Burgundy butterflies flitting in the sun among the orchids for the rest of my life!
As if this wasn't enough, on the way home we visited a meadow with an estimated over 5,00,000 Green winged orchids Anacamptis morio, including the white form which I will also add for you.
I have also included a delightful White-spotted sable moth Anania funebris , which is Na and a really nice find.
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