Bepton Down Orchids
I’ve written before about the plight of Bepton Down. This year the Down has struggled. It’s an SSSI but the weather and some land management problems caused some problems for the early flowers. There were very few Cowslips and the Early Purple Orchids just didn’t show at all.
So I took a couple of walks across the grassland at the weekend and I’m pleased to say that the Common Twayblade, Greater Butterfly Orchid and the Common Spotted Orchid were easy to find. Not so many Twayblade, but just look at the photo above and you’ll see that Common Spotted Orchids were in the many thousands!
I’m pleased to say that the Cowdray Estate who manage the land have agreed not to introduce cattle onto the Down on the 1st July. There’s a five year plan for the site which does allow cattle to be introduced from the beginning of July but this has been delayed this year to allow the fauna to recover.
Common Spotted Orchids and Greater Butterfly Orchids
What is 30 Days Wild?
30 Days Wild is an opportunity to make room for nature this June – no matter where you are or how busy your life is! Make this the month when you do something wild every day. When you sign up to the challenge, The Wildlife Trusts will even send you a pack full of encouragement, ideas and ‘Random Acts of Wildness’!
Bepton Ranger 