Tiny...

A blazing June day, which started at Ring Haw, where I continued recording vegetation quadrats. The grassland on the Calcining Banks has many annual species including a range of tiny pansies very similar to one recently recorded at Whitemoor - probably just Field Pansy but outside the normal size range for this species. 

Other excitement included re-discovering large patches of Bird's-foot, a very local species of acid grassland, and Greater Dodder (although the id needs to be checked when flowering, this species was previously recorded from the site in 1991). There was plenty of Grass Vetchling (again) and I found flowering spikes of Pyramidal and Common Spotted-orchid on Walden Hill. I was also visited by a very pretty micro-moth - associated with Ox-eye Daisy which is locally abundant.

In the afternoon I led a walk round Castor Hanglands for the Peterborough Local Group of the BCN Wildlife Trust. The Common Spotted and Marsh orchids were at their best, and we saw plenty of interest including a well-grown caterpillar of the Lackey moth.  We were glad of frequent shady spots to pause in - it was very, very hot!