Above photos the sites at Old Hospital Grounds and Greenhow IH

Grassington Old Hospital grounds  and SSSI fields at Greenhow

On a warm sunny morning 11 of us met to look at the mid-summer flowers on the old hospital grounds towards Hebden. Before entering the Reserve itself we had stopped to look at a bank of Grasses on the drive and admired a lovely area all yellow and white with Buttercups, Rought Hawkbit and Oxeye Daisy.

 

Yellow and White still predominated on the reserve, but perhaps not to the same density in some places, as the Yellow Rattle Rhinanthus minor and Eyebright Euphrasia, both semi-parasitic on grasses had reduced the height of the sward.

Yellow Rattle CB

 

Eyebright CB

 

There were lovely stands of of the pink Melancholy Thistle Cirsium heterophyllum and the Dandelion look-a-likes were there in some abundance, particurlarly Rough Hawkbit Leontodon hispidus but also Common Catsear Hypochaeris radicata.

Rough Hawkbit CB

Melancholy Thistle IH

Providing great excitement was a small group of Bee Orchids Ophrys apifera and a single one near enough the path for clear photographs to be taken. Northern Marsh Orchid and Common Spotted Dactylorhiza purpurella & fuchsii were also seen.

Northern Marsh Orchid IH

 

 

Bee Orchid

 

The bright orange of Fox and Cubs Pilosella aurantiaca were very evident amongst the other common summer flowers. Lunch was taken in a shady spot where nearby two Sedges were noticed, False-fox Sedge Carex otrubae and Pale Sedge C. pallescens

Fox and Cubs CB

7 of us continued to Greenhow where one of our members  introduced us to the owners of two SSSI fields. They made us very welcome  Many of the flowers and grasses were the same as at Hebden but with noteable differences.

There was Common Twayblade Neottia ovata all over the site and a good number of Northern Marsh. However the real treat were several groups of Frog Orchid Coeloglossum viride.  Originally this meeting was to go to Duck Street Quarry but the owner deemed it unsafe. One of the species we were hoping to find was the Frog Orchid, so particularly pleasing to find them at Greenhow, not so far from the quarry.

Frog Orchid JD

Common Twayblade IH

Frog Orchid IH

The two sites had provided us with a very varied day in ideal conditions, much enjoyed by everyone.

Christine Bell

Photos IH Ian  Hughes CB Christine Bell   JD Josephine Drake

Website Christine Bell