Orchids on the Durham coast

Durham's magnesian limestone grassland is famous for its orchids. Yesterday, when we were walking along the coast near Hawthorn Dene there was a sensational display, in the hay meadow at the mouth of the dene itself and even more so in the thin soils around the old quarry. 

There were many hundreds of spotted orchids and scores of pyramidal and fragrant orchids. There were also plenty of twayblades, but it's hard to estimate their numbers because their green colour makes them easy to overlook. 

I think this was the best orchid display that I can remember here.

Fragrant orchid

Pyramidal orchid

An albino common spotted orchid

Common spotted orchid

Twayblade orchid

This is the area around the quarry with the highest density of orchids, growing in a thin veneer of soil over limestone. Other species in flower here included centaury and yellow-wort, greater knapweed and carpets of bird's-foot trefoil.

A butterfly bank: second visit

About a month ago I posted some pictures of a beautiful magnesian limestone embankment along an old disused railway line at Trimdon near Durham city. This weekend we went back for another look and the flora was even better.

The viper's bugloss, which was only rosettes of leaves on our last visit, had now produced tall spires of flowers.

At the moment, this is just about the most flowery spot I know, with ....

...... bladder campion .......

...growing here with viper's bugloss ....

..... intensely fragrant burnet rose ......

..... eyebright, a plant that's partially parasitic on the roots of other plants....

..... greater knapweed .........

....... rock-rose .....

... and common spotted orchids that were too many to count, with numerous variations: this is an albino form.

Twayblade orchids, that are well hidden amongst the background vegetation..........

... and drifts of viper's bugloss, which bees can't resist.

Wild strawberries ..........

....... and wild thyme.

Magnesian limestone flora at its best!

Hawthorn Hive

The landslips on the beach at Hawthorn Hive on the Durham coast (above) have a fascinating limestone flora, where the shelter of the cliffs often coaxes plants into flower early.

Last weekend we found the first bloody crane'sbill flowers opening ...

 

... at the same time as the last of the dog violets were beginning to fade ....

..... while common milkwort was also just coming into bloom

 

... and glaucous sedge was also flowering. The upper flower spike on the sedge carries the stamens that have already shed their pollen, while the lower two flanking it are female, identifiable by the feathery white stigmas protruding from them. Sedges are easily identifiable by the triangular cross section of their stem - roll the stem between finger and thumb and you can feel that it's three-sided.

Meanwhile, twayblade orchid flower buds are still developing, and it will be a week or two yet before they open.