What a day!!!

Historian31 and I decided to go for one last day trip out before we have to return to work next week :-(
We decided this time to go to Noar hill NNR....but from the outset it all went a bit wrong. On wednesday I felt really ill, and spent most of the day in bed, and really wondered if I would be up to a day out, and then after deciding at the last minute I would be OK we got as far as Liphook and my car told me I had a fatal brake fault and I had to stop and call the RAC! Luckily they arrives fairly rapidly and having checked the car out (both with the computer and manually) they decided it was a glitch with one of the sensors on the ABS and we were able to continue on our way. 
Noar hill was just as stunning as it had been at the end of June, and even though the Pyramidal, Common spotted, Musk, Fly and Frog orchids were long gone, they were more than amply replaced by Autumn gentians and Autumn ladies tresses Spiranthes spiralis. 
Autumn ladies tresses are sometimes referred to as the 'last hurrah of summer' as they flower when summer is coming to an end and all other orchids have long since set seed. The species name 'spiralis' refers to the arrangement of flowers that spiral up the stem which is rather attractive. They can be found in August and September on short calcareous grassland  and at 7 - 20 cm tall they are not easy to see, and easily missed. I especially liked this beautiful little clump growing together. On our way back we got ever so slightly lost! but I am glad we did, as I found a perfect Brown Hairstreak Thecla betulae, nectaring on a flower...I managed just 2 shots before it disappeared, and I have included one in my rapidly decreasing extras!