I'd just like to share my amazing day....:D

[leifus]

1 word. AM-A-ZING

I went down to the south coast today and added huge numbers to my year list and a few to my life list as well.

Firstly, I explored the car park and found things such as scarlet pimpernel, early forget-me-not , spotted medick and small-flowered buttercup

Early Forget-me-not:



Small-flowered Buttercup:



Then we went out onto the downs where I found early purple orchids in good numbers as well as my first yellow rattle of the year (much much earlier than last year) and wayfaring-tree and hound's-tongue in the scrub...

Early Purple Orchid:



And then I found my first ever Early Spider Orchid I found many during the two hours we were there and they are so special! They could well end up as my flower of the YEAR It was amazing to see the variation too - every one was unique!

Early Spider Orchids:











I wish you could have seen them KT - amazing

Other things out on the downs included cowslips, salad burnet, horseshoe vetch, chalk milkwort, wild clary and fairy-flax

Horseshoe Vetch:



Chalk Milkwort:



Wild Clary:



I then found green-winged orchids and mouse-ear hawkweed before moving down to the sea where I found thrift and sea-beet

Green-winged Orchid:



So, as you can see, it was an amazing day! I will never forget that very first early spider

[sunnydale]

Sound like you had a great day leifus! You must be chuffed to bits seeing your first Early Spider Orchids. They are beautiful aren't they?
Your shots of them are lovely

I'm still waiting patiently for my local Bee Orchids to flower!
I need to look more closely at the Common Spotted and the Heath Spotted too, as I'm not sure which I've been seeing all these years Could well be a mixture of both!

Any tips to tell them apart?

[leifus]

Originally Posted by sunnydale

Sound like you had a great day leifus! You must be chuffed to bits seeing your first Early Spider Orchids. They are beautiful aren't they?
Your shots of them are lovely

I'm still waiting patiently for my local Bee Orchids to flower!
I need to look more closely at the Common Spotted and the Heath Spotted too, as I'm not sure which I've been seeing all these years Could well be a mixture of both!

Any tips to tell them apart?

thanks very much They are beautiful! yeah I often have trouble distinguishing the two (I will start a thread for advice ) as you can see from these:

Orchid, Common Spotted

Orchid, Heath-spotted

[KeenTeen17]

I am sooooo jealous

Love the close up of the spider bit of the orchid

Jealous of the small flowered buttercup and wild clary as well

[leifus]

Originally Posted by KeenTeen17

I am sooooo jealous

Love the close up of the spider bit of the orchid

Jealous of the small flowered buttercup and wild clary as well

haha yeah not surprised How I managed to spot the buttercup I've nooo idea

i've bumped my year list up to 169

[KeenTeen17]

Originally Posted by leifus

haha yeah not surprised How I managed to spot the buttercup I've nooo idea

i've bumped my year list up to 169

I'll catch you up!!!! Ill count mine up now

[leifus]

Originally Posted by KeenTeen17

I'll catch you up!!!! Ill count mine up now

haha i feel like beating you even without garden escapes its taking a while to count up

[Deer Stalker]

Well done Leifus.

Was that down at Durlston?

[leifus]

Originally Posted by Deer Stalker

Well done Leifus.

Was that down at Durlston?

yeah wonderful place - I've been twice now and it's one of my favourites

[Gypsy Orchid]

Well done Leifus must have been an amazing day. Lovely to see the pics of Early spider. I had hoped to get to Durlston while the orchids are in flower but my partner has been unwell and the weather is not that settled for camping. We did see early spiders near the Dancing Ledges three years ago but would love to go to Durlston as I check there site every day. Small buttercup was also good find I have never seen that.
Sylv