Green-winged Orchid

Green-winged Orchid Orchis morio

We walked around Beeding Hill and Anchor Bottom today, mainly to see the Cowslips, and without much expectation of seeing many other downland plants in flower.  The Cowslips were out and made a lovely show, but best of all were the Green-winged Orchids on Anchor Bottom.  This is a little early for them and these were among the few that we found in full bloom, but there were hundreds of them coming up and they will make a great show in a few days time.  There was a little Milkwort coming into bloom too.

We saw and heard our first Whitethroats in the scrub on Beeding Hill and I got my first sighting of a Willow warbler, which was singing heartily on the quarry side of the coombe.  Two days ago I saw a second cuckoo near Daylands Farm and this morning a house martin was the first thing I saw as I opened the bedroom curtains.  We also heard a third nightingale in Ashurst Woods, so more spring visitors are arriving all the time.