Bolton CastleSpring is a delightful season very much welcomed by us all. On May 13th Martin our not so new member took us on a lovely outing to his recently adopted home - Wensleydale. Our first port of call was the unimproved meadow Leyburn Old Glebe. There was a feeling of eager anticipation within the party of 15. Would we see the Green Winged and Burnt Tip Orchids? Would they be at their best? We were led carefully by John who took a path around the perimeter of the field. His philosophy was"leave the best till last". 
A Pink Green Winged OrchidThe Green Winged Orchids were present in extensive patches throughout the meadow, alongside a mass of Cowslips. Of special interest were specimens of the pink variety(no whites were seen), as the veins on the hoods of the flowers, a distinctive feature could be clearly seen. Other notable flowers on the margins were:- Bugle, Crosswort, Early Purple Orchid, Greater Stitchwort, Dog's Mercury and Bluebell. In the meadow were :-Salad Burnet, Yellow Rattle, Intermediate Lady's Mantle, Dog Violet, Wild Strawberry, Pignut and Water Avens. Brian was standing on a spot lower down in the field. Had he discovered the Burnt Tip Orchid?
Burnt Orchid Several spikes of this diminutive orchid were seen and duly photographed by group members. The sepals and upper petals form a tight head which is darkish red brown in colour when the flowers first open giving the appearance of being "burned " but fading rapidly as the flowers mature. The lip is white with two rounded side lobes and a bluntly forked central lobe marked with discreet crimson spots and the shape of a "little man". It was noted that the position of the orchid in the field was different to the Green Winged Orchid. It was in a more sheltered, less sunny location. This orchid is nationally rare and has been in severe decline due to disturbance and lack of suitable grazing. We reluctantly returned to the minibus enjoying the melodious song of a blackcap, a fly past of oystercatchers and a plethora of orange tip butterflies on the wing beside the swollen River Ure, on our way.
Our lunch stop was a well kept secret. It turned out to be Martin's caravan at West Witton. What luxury and service, everything we could ask for including home made tea loaf.
Our afternoon walk was along a green possibly a drovers road following a contour on the valley side. This path offered excellent views across Wensleydale looking towards Bolton Castle and the moorland above. 
Carpet MothThe weather conditions were variable with intermittent rain and sunshine. There was plenty of floral interest on the verges, rocks, walls and woodland. The flowers included Goldilocks Buttercup, Cuckoo Flower, Hoary Rock Cress, Common Whitlow Grass, Rue-leaved and Meadow Saxifrage. In the sunnier spells Speckled Wood, Green Veined White and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies were seen. On reaching the burial ground of the Knights Templar, an ancient monument, a deluge of rain was experienced. Our plans were changed, a decision was made to divert to a nearby farm with shop and cafe - an excellent refuge. A small band of gentlemen Martin, Stuart, John and Donald nobly returned to the caravan to rescue the minibus and rucksacks. The journey back was smooth and our fish and chip meal at Bizzies in Skipton was an excellent conclusion to our day out. The day had been single handedly planned and executed by Martin who has set an exceedingly high bench mark for the rest of the group. His supreme efforts were much admired by us all.Footnotes: St George's Mushroom was first seen by June in Leyburn Old Glebe. It was later seen on our walk and consumed by Robert - no ill effects reported at least not yet! Number of Floral Species seen: Glebe field 50, West Witton 90. Numbers of birds recorded:- 15 A Carpet Moth was seen.
Margaret