29th April 2009 (Wednesday)
Back on (relatively) home turf today, I was headed for Cheddar Gorge, in Somerset, hoping to track down a few local rarities & specialities.
It'd been quite a while since I'd been to Cheddar and my record here wasn't great (my last trip was a failure to find the famous Pinks last summer...
). I'd also forgotten quite what an arduous climb it was from Cheddar village up to the top of the Gorge, and the entrance to Black Rock nature reserve
Still, the first target was found easily enough -
Pyrenean Scurvygrass (
Cochlearia pyrenaica), all over a cliff-face in one of its' few UK sites.
Pyrenean Scurvygrass, Cochlearia pyrenaica; about half-way up the Gorge and (if you're coming from the village) on rocks on left-hand side of the road) Hairy Rock-cress (
Arabis hirsuta) also grew nearby and was another new find for the photo list, but that was where my luck for the day ended - I couldn't find a sign of either
Purple Gromwell (
Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum) nor
Herb-paris (
Paris quadrifolia). The
Spring Cinquefoil (
Potentilla tabernaemontani) added a splash of colour to the limestone banks and
Early Purple Orchids (
Orchis mascula) &
Thin-stemmed Lady's-mantle (
Alchemilla filicaulis ssp. vestita) were both in flower, too; plus the sunshine had drawn out quite a few butterflies, including a very photogenic
Grizzled Skipper 
(
Spring Cinquefoil, Potentilla tabernaemontani)
(
Grizzled Skipper)
And, one final "tick" before heading back to Cheddar village (thankfully, downhill...
) -
Common Twayblade (
Listera ovata). I'd seen them here before in high summer, but hadn't expected any signs to be visible this early.
(
Common Twayblade, Listera ovata)
(
Poet's Narcissus, N. poeticus; Weston-super-Mare seafront)