Meadow Brown

The weather's warming up, so I took Pete and Chris out to Maxey Pits fairly early. Everyone assumes insects like hot weather, but once it gets above a certain temperature many species very sensibly hide away during the hottest part of the day, to avoid being dessicated.

I dropped in at Castor Hanglands on the way back to enjoy the show of orchids, a vibrant mix of species and hybrids, almost impossible to identify. Most were close to common spotted-orchid, but a significant proportion had clearly hybridised, producing some rather unusual and occasionally stunning forms (see extra photos). Further on, the common valerian was in full bloom, and was attracting fluttering hordes of meadow browns.

After taking Ben to the orthodontist to have his retainer fitted, I went back to collect Pete and Chris. Chris drove us home, very smoothly. Hopefully he can keep up the performance, as he's taking his driving test next week!