Adur Orchids
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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2022
 

15 - 19 June 2022

Fragrant. Spotted, Southern Marsh, Pyramidal

15 June 2022

Bee Orchid, Fragrant Orchid
Downs Link at Old Shoreham, Beeding Hill

 
 
 

2 May 2022 The shoots of a dozen or so Green-winged Orchids rose above the short turf of the conservation pastures at Anchor Bottom.

 

2020
 
 

8 June 2020
On the southern bank of the Mill Hill Cutting I trampled some Cotoneaster, and found hundreds more Common Spotted Orchids.

Common Spotted Orchids
Mill Hill Cutting

7 June 2020

Southern Marsh, Common Spotted, Pyramidal
Mill Hill Cutting (south)

29 May 2020
My first of the year orchid was a Common Spotted Orchid on the Slonk Hill Cutting (south),
 

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2019

27 June 2019

Several hundred Pyramidal Orchids were the notable feature of the verges of the cyclepath between Old Shoreham and Dacre Gardens (Upper Beeding).

11 June 2019

Common Spotted Orchids
Slonk Hill Cutting (south)

9 June 2019

Common Spotted Orchids, a single spike of Bee Orchid, and budding Pyramidal Orchids
Downs Link Cyclepath near the Cement Works

On the verges of the Downs Link Cyclepath near the Cement Works on a cloudy midday, I spotted the following amongst the swathes of Ox-eye Daisies: hidden Common Spotted Orchids, a single spike of Bee Orchid, and budding Pyramidal Orchids.

3 June 2019

Southern Marsh Orchid
Mill Hill Cutting (south)

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2018

11 June 2018

The sunshine made it difficult to photograph over a hundred Common Spotted Orchids and about eight Southern Marsh Orchids on the southern bank of Mill Hill Cutting. The Pyramidal Orchids were just emerging on the north edge of Frampton's Field.

3 June 2018
In the late morning, three Common Spotted Orchids and Ox-eye Daisies were seem immediately amongst the meadow-like verges at Erringham Gap on the Downs Link Cyclepath.

25 May 2018
The first three flowering Common Spotted Orchids were spotted on Slonk Hill Cutting (southern road verge).

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2017
 

21 August 2017
A few spikes of Autumn Lady's Tresses (an orchid) had just appeared on the top plateau of Mill Hill, just north of the Reservoir, on a grey overcast afternoon. They were small and difficult to spot.

20 August 2017

Autumn Lady's Tresses
Anchor Bottom

13 June 2017

Southern Marsh Orchid
Mill Hill Cutting

11 June 2017

With the ninth successive day of wind surfer weather the summer flowers were blown about in the Fresh Breeze (Force 5).  Common Spotted Orchids and Pyramidal Orchids were commonly in flower on the verges of the cyclepath between Erringham Gap and the Cement Works. The orchids bright colours stood out through the growing green vegetation. One spike of Bee Orchid was spotted. Its flowers had twisted.
Wild Flower Report

31 May 2017

On a warm sunny afternoon I cycled the Downs Link Cyclepath from Old Shoreham to Upper Beeding where I discovered three species of orchid in flower on the verges. There were frequent Common Spotted Orchids by Erringham Gap, over a hundred south of the Cement Works accompanied by at least two spikes of the Common Bee Orchid. On Anchor Bottom I spotted scores of Common Fragrant Orchids on the north-facing southern bank. Returning by the Downs Link Cyclepath I spotted a budding Pyramidal Orchid near the Flyover.

25 May 2017
A flowering Common Spotted Orchid was spotted on Buckingham Cutting (southern road verge).

2 May 2017
The spotted leaves of a Common Spotted Orchid were discovered on Buckingham Cutting (southern road verge).

18 April 2017
A Green-winged Orchid was flowering on Anchor Bottom. There was only one seen after searching. Green-winged Orchid, Orchis morio has become Anacamptis morio.
A few Early Purple Orchids were flowering in Tottington Woods.

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2016

12 September 2016

Autumn Lady's Tresses

5 June 2016

Common Spotted Orchids
Steyning Line Cyclepath at Old Erringham

11 May 2016

Hundreds of Early Purple Orchids were in flower under the canopy of Lancing Clump where the sun would have shined through if it wasn't a misty day.

8 May 2016

Hundreds of Green-winged Orchids were in flower on the south-western (north-facing) bank of the Anchor Bottom pasture.

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2015

24 June 2015

Orchids on Mill Hill Cutting
Common Spotted, Southern Marsh & Pyramidal

21 June 2015
 

Fragrant Orchids

Of most interest were scores of Fragrant Orchids, Gymnadenia conopsea, amounting to over a hundred on the southern bank of Anchor Bottom where the Horseshoe Vetch was still flowering (almost all was gone) with at least three plants in flower. Some of the Fragrant Orchids were fading and others were budding, but I think generally they were past their best.

7 June 2015
 

Undoubtedly the highlight of the morning was the early discovery of a solitary Bee Orchid on a road verge in north Shoreham, on a lawn it has not been reported from before. It had only just pushed itself up and started flowering.

6 June 2015

Common Spotted Orchids

12 May 2015
 

Green-winged Orchids

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2014

19 June 2014
 

Common Spotted Orchid (pale form)	Pyramidal Orchid	Southern Marsh Orchid

Common Spotted Orchid	Southern Marsh Orchid	Pyramidal Orchid

Three species of orchid were seen on the Mill Hill Cutting SW bank: Common Spotted Orchid, Pyramidal Orchid and Southern Marsh Orchid. Bee Orchids were not seen on the verge in Mill Hill Drive.

2 June 2014
 

Common Spotted Orchids
on the southern road bank opposite Buckingham Barn, north Shoreham

Orchids

4 May 2014
Scores of pretty Green-winged Orchids were strewn amongst the cow pats on the southern north-facing bank of Anchor Bottom (chalk downs at Upper Beeding). All of them were purple in colour. These were the first orchids seen this year.
 

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2013

1 July 2013
Two Large Skippers either fighting or courting over the overgrown path along the south bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting was the highlight of a brief detour on a humid late afternoon. The notable feature of the open road embankment were  the thousands of fading Common Spotted Orchids and the appearance of the first Pyramidal Orchids.
 

Crab Spider on Pyramidal Orchid	Common Spotted Orchid	Common Spotted Orchids	Pyramidal Orchid

Slonk Hill Cutting (south)

27 June 2013
 

Southern Marsh Orchid	Southern Marsh Orchid	Pyramidal Orchid	Common Spotted Orchid

Mill Hill Cutting (SW)

15 June 2013
 

Common Spotted Orchid	Common Spotted Orchid	Common Spotted Orchids	Pyramidal Orchid

Buckingham Cutting (south)

		14 June 2013 A sudden spell of sunshine after midday was unexpected after the recent poor weather. There were flowers seen for the first time this year including about seven Southern Marsh Orchids, Dactylorhiza praetermissa, on the Mill Hill Cutting (south) and the first Common Spotted Orchids in the same area.
Southern Marsh Orchids	Spotted Orchid

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2012

20 June 2012
 

                                                    Common Spotted Orchids

14 June 2012
 

                                                  Southern Marsh Orchids
 

                                                                                Bee Orchids
 Life Style of a Bee Orchid

13 June 2012
Pyramidal Orchids were budding and one was beginning to flower on Buckingham Cutting (south).

1 June 2012
 

The sky filled with clouds before midday and the butterflies went into hiding. It needed a careful look to spot the first of the tiny Small Blue Butterflies this year, amongst the flowering Kidney Vetch on the southern bank of the Buckingham Cutting, where the Spotted Orchids were beginning to flower

11 May 2012
 

Green-winged Orchids

Hundreds of pretty Green-winged Orchids were strewn amongst the cow pats on the southern north-facing bank of Anchor Bottom (chalk downs at Upper Beeding). All of them were purple in colour. These were the first orchids seen this year.

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2011

19 June 2011
 

Crab spider Misumena vatia on Pyramidal Orchid		Common Spotted Orchids	Pyramidal Orchid

Buckingham Cutting and Slonk Hill Cutting, southern embankments

4 June 2011
About seven Southern Marsh Orchids, Dactylorhiza praetermissa, were already beginning to turn brown on the Mill Hill Cutting (south).

3 June 2011
The first Pyramidal Orchids were beginning to flower on the southern bank of the Buckingham Cutting, but it was too blowy (Force 5) to photograph them. A few Southern Marsh Orchids, Dactylorhiza praetermissa, were flowering on the Mill Hill Cutting (south).

31 May 2011
Common Spotted Orchids were now in flower on the southern side of the Buckingham Cutting. A few Southern Marsh Orchids, Dactylorhiza praetermissa, were flowering on the Mill Hill Cutting (south).

20 May 2011
On the southern bank of the Buckingham Cutting and I noted the first Spotted Orchids in flower this year.

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2010
 

20 June 2010
On the southern bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting, hundreds of Spotted Orchids were in flower. Some of them were already fading.

18 June 2010
The first new Bee Orchids appeared on the verge in Mill Hill Drive. There were about a dozen, perhaps more.

9 June 2010
The first Pyramidal Orchid was seen on the southern bank of Buckingham Cutting.

2 June 2010
The first few Spotted Orchids were in flower on Slonk Hill Cutting south.

24 May 2010
I noted about a dozen Green-winged Orchids with some two pinky-white ones and I suspect that there were many more on the southern north-facing slopes of Anchor Bottom.

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2009

12 August 2009
The first Autumn Lady's Tresses (a small orchid) of 2009 were spotted on the Horseshoe Vetch slope at Anchor Bottom, Upper Beeding.

1 July 2009
Common Spotted Orchids were fading rapidly on the southern side of the Slonk Hill Cutting.

12 June 2009
A patch of over fifty Fragrant Orchids on the southern (south-west, north facing) bank of Anchor Bottom was unprecedented in these records.
Adur Orchid Images 2009

7 June 2009
Common Spotted Orchids and a few Pyramidal Orchids were now in flower on the southern side of the Buckingham Cutting.
 

This orchid on the Mill Hill Cutting (south-west) was a mystery at first.  There are seven votes for the Southern Marsh Orchid, Dactylorhiza praetermissa, previously: Orchis praetermissa. If this identification is correct, this orchid would be a new addition to the local list.

2 June 2009
A dozen or so Bee Orchids were in flower on the verge of Mill Hill Drive, Old Shoreham, and the first Pyramidal Orchid of the year was seen on the on the Coastal Link Cyclepath south of Upper Beeding with a solitary Common Spotted Orchid nearby.

31 May 2009
Common Spotted Orchids were now in flower on the southern side of the Buckingham Cutting.

21 May 2009
On Anchor Bottom, a few (not many) Green-veined Orchids were in flower. A few Common Spotted Orchids appeared on the verges of the Coastal Link Cyclepath and its usual place of abundance on the Slonk Hill Cutting south bank.

20 May 2009
 

The lower slopes of Mill Hill	Common Spotted Orchid	Common Spotted Orchid

My first of the year and first ever Spotted Orchid on Mill Hill was a surprise on the lower slopes.

14 April 2009
The Early Purple Orchid was showing the first flowers under the trees on Lancing Clump.

Report & Photograph by Ray Hamblett on the new Friends of Lancing Ring web pages

10 May 2009
On a brief visit to Anchor Bottom, I found the Green-veined Orchids in full show.

Report by Ray Hamblett on the Lancing Nature Blogspot

18 March 2009 The first leaves of the Early Purple Orchids appeared underneath the Beech trees on Lancing Ring.

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2008

23 June 2008
Native wild flowers recorded for the first time this year consisted of frequent Fragrant Orchids, which were nearly finished on Anchor Bottom, Upper Beeding.
 

5 June 2008 A few Bee Orchids have appeared on the verge in Mill Hill Road where most of them had been destroyed.  Destruction Report Adur Orchids

4 June 2008
There were the first sign of a few flowering Pyramidal Orchids on the open bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting.

1 June 2008
Four Green-winged Orchids were seen on the Mill Hill Cutting southern bank for the first recorded in the Shoreham boundaries. The patterns were much paler than usual. Hundreds of Spotted Orchids were in flower on the southern bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting, but there appeared to be less than normal.
 

16 May 2008
The beginnings of a flowering Spotted Orchid were spotted on the south side of the Slonk Hill Cutting.
 

10 May 2008 With considerable dismay I noted that the Bee Orchid colony in Mill Hill Road seems to have been deliberately destroyed. It seems to have been more than just mown as it was levelled to remove some of the top soil. I have seen this happen on horse pastures. It is possible that the orchids could even survive this drastic measure.

As the only other site known in Shoreham, a private pasture next to the Waterworks House has been covered in chalk spoil, it is likely that this orchid is now extinct in Shoreham. The culprits are unknown. The patch is shown on the photograph above on the far right. It is very likely just to have been heavily mown. One Bee Orchid has been discovered before on the verges of the Coastal Link Cyclepath at Upper Beeding.

26 April 2008 My first orchids of 2008 were frequent Green-winged Orchids pushing up from the southern side turf on Anchor Bottom.

20 April 2008
Early Purple Orchids were in flower at Tottington Woods near Small Dole.

Report by Ray Hamblett on the Adur Valley (Yahoo Group)

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2007
 

26 August 2007
On a half an hour trek on the southern (north-facing) slopes of Anchor Bottom (Dacre Garden entrance), Upper Beeding,  I stumbled over the first Autumn Lady's Tresses of 2007, and there were half a dozen of these small easily overlooked orchids in a small area and were probably only a small proportion of a much larger number in the same general area the other orchids were found.

17 June 2007
The Bee Orchids on the verge of Mill Hill Drive were now wrinkled and past their best. There were only a handful seen still in flower, although I expect I would have discovered more if I searched them out.

12 June 2007
In the breezy (Force 5) warm (>21.9 ºC) sunshine, butterflies were blown about considerably. A detour to Anchor Bottom recorded 48 Fragrant Orchids were seen in approximately the same area that the Green-winged Orchids are found earlier in the year. This area (measured at 3 acres) was on the south (north-facing) bank to Anchor Bottom and contains evidence of cattle use.

8 June 2007
Two Fragrant Orchids, Gymnadenia conopsea, were seen in flower for the first time this year on Anchor Bottom. This species is infrequent locally and the large expanse of Anchor Bottom and nearby fields are it only known location covering well over a hundred acres. They are recorded only occasionally and finding two in the shelter of a large Hawthorn was exceptional.
A single flowering Bee Orchid stalk was noticed in the long grass and herb meadow verge of the Downs Link Cyclepath just south of the Cement Works. A few Pyramidal Orchids were beginning. On the southern bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting there were the expected hundreds of Common Spotted Orchids but there did not seem to be as many as in previous years.

5 June 2007
A half a dozen or so Bee Orchid stalks were in flower on the verge in Mill Hill Road. A few Pyramidal Orchids were beginning including one on the lower slopes of Mill Hill.

3 June 2007
A single Pyramidal Orchid was seen in flower on the grassy verges next to the Downs Link Cyclepath just south of the Cement Works. A few hundred Common Spotted Orchids were seen on the southern bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting. They were ahead of the peak flowering period.

25 May 2007
The first Bee Orchid of the year was seen on the verge in Mill Hill Road.

20 May 2007
The first Common Spotted Orchids (one seen in full flower and others budding) were seen on the southern bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting.

1 May 2007
Under the Beech on Lancing Ring, there was a patch of Early Purple Orchids, Orchis mascula, but they looked well past their best.

29 April 2007
There must have been at least a hundred Green-winged Orchids, Orchis morio, in the acre on the southern side at the Dacre Gardens western entrance. I saw one pale almost white flower.

20 April 2007
On an almost barren hillside, apart from the rough grasses, wet and dry cow pats, very frequent Dandelions, occasional Field Speedwell the first Green-winged Orchids of the year were pushing up from the southern side turf on Anchor Bottom.
 

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2006

11 September 2006
Autumn Lady's Tresses, Spiranthes spiralis, (an orchid) were again spotted in flower. I did not count the plants.

6 September 2006
On a humid day the first Autumn Gentian and Autumn Lady's Tresses, Spiranthes spiralis, (an orchid) were spotted in flower on the upper part of Mill Hill (just north of the Reservoir). These are both small plants that can only be seen in the short sward.

 

20 June 2006

There were hundreds of Common Spotted Orchids on the southern grassy area of the south bank of Slonk Hill Cutting as usual. Most of them were the normal mauve to purple with distinctly spotted leaves at the base of the plant, but there could have been 3% that were white with leaf spots that could be noticed but they were not nearly so clear.

Image

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

15 June 2006
With wild flowers bursting into flower everywhere, the highlight was about a hundred Bee Orchids amongst the grasses, Ox-eye Daises, Red Clovers and Buttercups and both Hop Trefoil and Black Medick in Mill Hill Drive, north Shoreham.
 

8 June 2006
A Common Spotted Orchid was seen on Lancing Ring Nature Reserve.

Photograph by Jan Hamblett on the Lancing Ring Blogspot
and on flickr Sussex Wildlife Gallery

4 June 2006

On the southern bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting both Common Spotted Orchids and Pyramidal Orchids were beginning to flower. On the Coastal Link Cyclepath, one or two Common Spotted Orchids were flowering.

 

 

29 May 2006

On the southern grass embankment of Slonk Hill the first handful of Spotted Orchids were flowering, but there were scores, probably hundreds, where the spotted leaves could be seen, but the flowers had not appeared yet.

 

10 May 2006

Over a hundred Green-winged Orchids were scattered in isolation over the southern (north-facing) slopes of Anchor Bottom (north of the Cement Works).

Green-winged Orchid with Cow Pat

Green-winged Orchids in-situ

It was difficult to ascertain their numbers because the extent of their spread was not ascertained. There seemed to be several hundred.

2005

14 September 2005
After a search lasting ten minutes, I could not find the Autumn Lady's Tresses, Spiranthes spiralis, in the same area as yesterday.
Mill Hill Reservoir Page
 

13 September 2005 I am not surprised that I missed the Autumn Lady's Tresses, Spiranthes spiralis, on previous visits as this orchid is very much smaller than expected and already past its best. There were three plants seen in the short grass just north of the Reservoir on Mill Hill.    The habitat was similar (but not identical) to the lower slopes with prostrate Horseshoe Vetch leaves and the following other plants in flower: Autumn Gentian, Eyebright, Stemless Thistle, Round-headed Rampion, Scabious, Milkwort, Yellow Wort, Carline Thistle and Bird's Foot Trefoil in the short herb (with Plantain and Burnet Saxifrage leaves) and grass area. There were lots of rabbit droppings and three ant's nests.

24 June 2005
 

13 June 2005
 

Bee Orchids, Orchis apifera, were growing tall in the long grass verges with Red Clover at the junction of Mill Hill Road (leads to Mill Hill) and Mill Hill Close.

11 May 2005
The green orchid-like Common Twayblade, Listera ovata, was growing on the verges just north of Beeding Hill car park beside the path on the way to Golding Barn. This all green plant can be quite difficult to discover.

8 -13 May 2005
Hundreds of Green-winged Orchids are flowering at Anchor Bottom, near Upper Beeding, on the eastern bank. There were not as many as in previous years. When the orchids are over there is not a trace of them to see, no stalk or leaves.
 

2004
 

9 June 2004
Bee Orchids in the horse's field immediately to the west of the entrance of the Waterworks House, Old Shoreham (at the foot of Mill Hill). In subsequent years the flora had been grazed down too much and the herbs and orchids did not appear.
 

Bee Orchid in the same field as the Stoat

Waterworks Road

2003
 

	7 September 2003 At the disused chalk pit near Lancing Clump, the rare Autumn Ladies Tresses Orchid, Spiranthes spiralis, was in full flower in the same spot where I had previously seen it.     Report by Ray Hamblett (Lancing Nature) on the Lancing Nature Smart Group Full Report Lancing Nature Image Gallery (by Ray Hamblett) Lancing Orchids (by Ray Hamblett)
	14 June 2003 At Beeding Hill, the Fragrant Orchid was in flower, and on the road verges above Anchor Bottom.

7 May 2003
 

The Early Purple Orchids, Orchis mascula, made a fine show under the canopy of Lancing Clump. 

flickr Sussex Wild Flora