Lady Orchid
I had so enjoyed our visit to Bonsai Bank just a few days earlier that I was keen to return as soon as I could as I knew the Lady Orchids
(Orchis purpurea) would be getting better by the day. Taking the opportunity of some good weather I returned just 4 days later to see what else I might find and of course I wasn’t disappointed in the least. As soon as I entered the Bonsai Bank area I saw some lovely little Green Hairstreaks
(Callophrys rubi) which are very strange when you see them fly as you wonder why you are seeing such a brown colour. As far as I’m aware they always sit with their wings closed so you never see the brown colouring. They are another tiny butterfly with just a 2.5cm wingspan and they can be hard to spot when sitting on a shrub with its bright new spring foliage.
I had an even more obliging Holly Blue
(Celastrina argiolus) butterfly than I’d had before too and I hadn’t even got to the area that the Duke of Burgundys
(Hamearis lucina) favour yet. I was also keen on getting some pictures of some of the other flowers that grow on the bank and a lovely group of Common Birds-foot trefoil
(Lotus corniculatus) was the first I found along with some wild strawberries
(Fragaria vesca).
The area where the Duke of Burgundys live
I got to the favoured Duke of Burgundy area and met with another photographer there and as you usually do on these occasion struck up a conversation with him. As it happened I had actually met him before and when he gave me his card for his website I immediately knew which one it was and I think he was quite surprised when I told him I had been a regular visitor to his excellent photographic site and some of his tutorials. He has pictures on his site I can only dream of taking, certainly something for me to aim at.
He’d been very lucky that morning and had been photographing a mating pair of Duke of Burgundy butterflies but he lost the female as she flew off so hadn’t a clue if she had laid any eggs straight away.
Duke of Burgundy
Whilst I was eating my lunch a couple came along looking to see how many butterflies were around. For those interested in butterflies this little spot and seeing a Duke of Burgundy is definitely on their must visit places each year. They were interested if they could locate any eggs laid on the primrose leaves and carefully looked at as many as they could. After a short time they did find one and so I quickly took a picture of it before I forgot which leaf it was. It was tiny and it’s quite common I’m told that only a single egg is laid on a leaf.
As well as getting a few more shots of the Duke of Burgundy butterflies that I was really pleased with, the Lady Orchids were looking wonderful today too. I always love to see a single orchid in flower but for me seeing them growing together in large groups was just wonderful. Bonsai Bank was fast becoming my new favourite place for orchids.
Recommended Reading If you are interesting in finding out more about Britain's butterflies, these books are very handy to have. You can buy them directly through Amazon.co.uk from this site.   
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Having exhausted all the photo opportunities and wanting to find a cooler bit of woodland for a while. I walked further along the woodland ride that links two pieces of woodland. I didn’t go far but was so glad that I did as I spotted a beautiful dragonfly which very obligingly settled for long enough for me to get a decent shot. I’m finding correctly identifying Dragon and Damselflies really hard but am pretty certain this is some kind of Broad-bodied Chaser.
I can always find an excuse when driving home to pass Park Gate Down and so in the lovely late afternoon light I did just that. I found a few more Monkey Orchids
(Orchis simia) now in flower and looking really good in the gentle light. It had been another perfect day and my camera card was full once more.
