[childhood memories]

early purples just coming into flower North Oxfordshire

[rogpow]

A few Green-winged coming into flower on the Isle of Wight.

Rog

[davidearlgray]

Check out my favourite site yesterday(Cloud Wood LRWT) and found at least 300+ Early Purple Orchids coming into flower.

Cheers,
Dave

[Lorne]

Originally Posted by the young hunter

I think Mid-May is definitely the best bet for the Hampshire site.

They just seem to flower ridiculously early here to the extent that I went to check whether the plants had appeared above ground in April last year and found some in full flower!

Mike.

Just a note for anyone who does visit this Hampshire site, have a look for the C.longifola X C. damasonium hybrids there. Although I haven’t been for a couple of years now they were usually there. Go left (west) of the photo site, check for Fly by the path then down near the roadside & right this is the area to see them.

Lorne

[broadbill]

Originally Posted by davidearlgray

Check out my favourite site yesterday(Cloud Wood LRWT) and found at least 300+ Early Purple Orchids coming into flower.

Checked some Early Purples in Suffolk at the weekend - a little way to go yet here still before they look like flowering. The beginnings of a spike on a Greater Butterfly Orchid also....

Chris

[the young hunter]

The longifolia up here (Aberdyfi) are still nowhere near flowering, in contrast to this time last year. Things seem to be a bit more on track in terms of standard flowering times this year.

Mike.

[lizard orchid]

If any of you visit the Man orchids in Warwickshire this year to photograph them can you please take a hammer if possible along with you to hammer back in the canes and pegs of the cages. I just want to make sure the rabbits don't get any developing seedheads later on. There are at the moment developing terminal shoots on some of the rosettes and there should be some flowering spikes. I just hope we don't get a late frost that can damage the developing flowering spikes.
Many thanks.

Brian Laney.

[Matthebirder]

A few Green-winged flowering in Cambs at Upwood Meadow. Very small plants though presumably due to the dry weather recently.
Matthew

[ladybee]

Good numbers of Dorset Early Spiders looking good on 22nd April - not looking so good a few days later after heavy rain and gale force winds but I expect they will have picked up if they have had some sun and drier conditions since.

[rmielcarek]

First plants just starting to emerge locally, I found 5 today.

This is 12 days later than 2011.

Rich M

[simonm001]

Originally Posted by rmielcarek

First plants just starting to emerge locally, I found 5 today.

This is 12 days later than 2011.

Rich M

How does it compare to the previous years Rich? I thought last year was an early season..
Simon

[rmielcarek]

Originally Posted by simonm001

How does it compare to the previous years Rich? I thought last year was an early season..
Simon

I thought this year was going to be even earlier when I found some GWO at the end of March but it has obviously gone back somewhat since then, no doubt as a result of the weather.

As for Southern Marsh emergence locally;
7th May 2010
29th April 2008
2nd May 2007
5th May 2006

so this year now seems to be about 'normal'.

Rich M

[Matthebirder]

The Monks Wood, 'Huntingdonshire' Early Purples (c.25) in perfect condition at the moment. Also a Greater Butterfly seems to be on the cards this year, a couple of leaves at least so far.
M

[James Hunter]

yep - the season has ground to a halt in Kent

Yesterday I had 47 Lady Orchids near Queensdown Warren in various stages, White Helleborine yet to flower and Man Orchids still in bud - hooray when it gets warmer!

For those that know the Lady site I mention I was approached by police asking what I was up to - the site is used for gay dogging so please be cautious if you visit.

Cheers

James

[JCL]

Originally Posted by James Hunter

For those that know the Lady site I mention I was approached by police asking what I was up to - the site is used for gay dogging so please be cautious if you visit.

Cheers

James

'Nope, I'm looking for flowering Ladies...'... Did they believe your answer, James?

[the young hunter]

Originally Posted by JCL

'Nope, I'm looking for flowering Ladies...'... Did they believe your answer, James?

Hahaha, I was thinking the same thing!

[childhood memories]

Visited two young ladies in the chilterns this morning - one lady-monkey hybrid in flower

[davidearlgray]

For those that know the Lady site I mention I was approached by police asking what I was up to - the site is used for gay dogging so please be cautious if you visit.

Cheers

James[/quote]


You been gay dogging again James!?!...

[heakl]

Originally Posted by James Hunter

yep - the season has ground to a halt in Kent

Yesterday I had 47 Lady Orchids near Queensdown Warren in various stages, White Helleborine yet to flower and Man Orchids still in bud - hooray when it gets warmer!

For those that know the Lady site I mention I was approached by police asking what I was up to - the site is used for gay dogging so please be cautious if you visit.

Cheers

James

Yes, rather slow going at the moment James but what's there is certainly worth seeing. Found a Man just starting to open near Folkestone this morning.

Alan

PS Did the police really say "up to" ?

[jeffnsue]

Hi everyone, that time of year again!
We were planning a visit to Cumbria for the local specialities on 14/5 but the warden tells us it's a late year and we'll need to go at the end of May. That leaves us with a blank day - does anyone know whether the various Marsh Orchids are showing at Newborough, Cors Goch etc,

Jeff

[childhood memories]

looking at the pictures that Heakl took in Kent yesterday compared with the ones I took in Oxfordshire on the same day of Lady orchids - what a range of colouration - mine is almost the colour of a military - I have seen them looking a bit redder here -re - burnt orchid colour in the past -it was very dull and it was raining but I think they were still quite bluey

[childhood memories]

similarly the man orchids we have up here are just green - none of the red colouration yours are obviously going to show

[IJS]

100s of green winged orchids in Oxfordshire tonight - my firdt orchid species of the new year!

[James Hunter]

I'll be a bit more careful what I post after the responses I got

Re Lady Orchid variation - if you are lucky enough to visit a large colony the variation can be mindblowing - they can be all shapes and shades - a very special orchid.

[James Hunter]

Originally Posted by jeffnsue

Hi everyone, that time of year again!
We were planning a visit to Cumbria for the local specialities on 14/5 but the warden tells us it's a late year and we'll need to go at the end of May. That leaves us with a blank day - does anyone know whether the various Marsh Orchids are showing at Newborough, Cors Goch etc,

Jeff

Hi Jeff - I think mid May may be a tad early for Anglesey - but hopefully someone more local can help - I have visited usually in early June but this is a late year

Regards

James