Castle Hill NNR

Last week, Tom took a well-earned day off and went to Castle Hill NNR in East Sussex with the intention of finding the early spider orchid- a specialist of chalk and limestone grassland on the south coast (they deserve a post of their own).

From Tom:  It was great to explore an entirely new landscape of rolling chalk downland that I am completely unfamiliar with. I look forward to my return to the area in a month or so looking for burnt tip orchids!

Stonechats over chalk fields.

Swathes of cowslips.

A single cluster of false oxlip (primrose x cowslip hybrid) in among the cowslips.  

Rolling chalk downland.

Fragrant sp. and common spotted orchid rosettes.

There were lots of small coppers and a few small heaths.

Salad burnet.

The famed early spider orchid.

Early purple orchid.

Tawney mining bee.

Chalk downland valleys.

Looking from Castle Hill towards Lewes and Mount Caburn.

The first arums out.