Up on the downs...

There are few more colourful sights than a species-rich chalk grassland in late July. The sward is studded with the purples of greater knapweed and common knapweed, the soft blue of harebell, the contrasting yellow of hairy hawkbit and the foamy white blossom of burnet saxifrage (which isn't a saxifrage at all, but is a small member of the carrot family). In the best areas there can be more than 40 species in a metre square!

This is the view from the top of Totternhoe Knolls, on the earthworks of a motte-and-bailey castle, looking towards Dunstable and Whipsnade Downs. The Chiltern Hills curl away to the west, towards Ivinghoe beacon which is just out of shot, and then on to Buckinghamshire, to the wooded hills around Great Kimble where my father was raised in the early part of the Twentieth century. He always regaled us of his tale of shooting a rabbit on the lawn of Chequers as a dare (supposedly when the Prime Minister was in residence) - I suspect this may well have been true.

I was working on the Wildlife Trust's Totternhoe NR, a stunning site which seems sorely undervalued by the locals. But that part of Bedfordshire has many accessible sites along the Chiltern ridge, and I have to admit it was rather nice not to have too many people around. As well as the bright and cheerful chalk flowers, we were lucky enough to come across a colony of rather more subtle musk and frog orchids, though both were past their best. Exciting for me though, as the last time I saw musk orchids was on Box Hill, over 25 years ago.

Thanks so much for all the lovely comments, stars and hearts for yesterday's dragonfly - it sat on the Spotlight page for much of the day :)