Denge Woods and Bonsai Bank 2010  | - Click on the image above to view gallery
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 Duke of Burgundy Butterfly
A lot of work had been done during the winter months coppicing the woodland and clearing Bonsai Bank of some of the older, stunted conifers. This has made the area far more open and in years to come will hopefully encourage the Duke of Burgundy to expand its territory a bit more. It certainly was pleasing to see these endangered butterflies on the footpaths some distance away from Bonsai Bank: all encouraging signs of this endangered butterfly spreading.
I park at Garlinge Green and am never quite sure what I might find as I walk the mile or so to Bonsai Bank along well-trodden footpaths. As the season progresses there is always a very good variety of wild flowers to enjoy, including many species of orchid. On one occasion I found a Slow Worm on the footpath, quite happy to warm itself in the sunshine and in no hurry to move. It even allowed me to pick it up without any distress. It’s always special to have close encounters with wildlife like this. Even when I put him back down he still wasn’t in any great rush to seek shelter, although I did put him down away from the middle of the footpath.
 Lady Orchid  Fly Orchid  Greater Butterfly Orchid
I have been visiting Bonsai Bank for a few years now and always enjoy the show of Lady Orchids that grow there. With so many of the conifers being felled during the winter months I was a bit concerned that they would put on the same show. I shouldn’t have worried one bit as I think this year there were more Lady Orchid spikes than I have ever seen before. It would be no exaggeration to say there were more than 600 and that was just from a very quick count I made when walking around. For a rare orchid this is staggering. I don’t think the flower spikes were as tall as I have seen in previous years but each flower is unique in its colouring and markings and taking pictures allows you to get up close and enjoy all the differences.
This year, as always, I tried to get the best pictures of the butterflies and orchids, and this is one of the main reasons I keep going back. When the weather was slightly overcast and the butterflies were nowhere to be seen, the conditions then are perfect for getting shots of the various flowers. It was also a real pleasure to take some of my photography friends along one day to show them this very special place and the wildlife that lives there. On one occasion I also bumped into Tony Morris, a local blogger who I nearly always check up on daily. I was surprised that this was the first time I had met him as we often visit the same places. It was a pleasure to meet him and have a good chat, and I hope it’s not too long before I bump into him again.
 Herb Paris  Horseshoe Vetch
The pictures that accompany this journal entry are from visits from the end of April to early June. I seemed to make a lot of visits while the weather was slightly overcast or maybe that was the kind of springtime weather we had. Butterflies, especially Duke of Burgundies, always seem to go into hiding when it’s overcast, but these are perfect conditions for taking pictures of flowers as you don’t get the harsh shadows on the flowers when pictures are taken in bright sunlight. It’s really good that while you are waiting for the sun to shine to bring out the butterflies, you can use the time to take pictures of the flowers.
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Regards,
Dave