Coploe Chalk Pits
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Common Valerian, widespread & abundant, in places dominant - Likes ‘wet & dry grassland’
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Legumes: Kidney Vetch, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Lesser Trefoil, all in good numbers
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Campions, both White and Bladder. Bedstraws, both Lady’s and Hedge
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Composites: Rough Hawkbit (rich yellow flowers) and Mouse-ear Hawkweed (lemon-yellow flowers), both chalk-lovers
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Calcicoles: Purging Flax (five petals) and Squinancywort (four petals) in fair numbers, sometimes growing together. And Milkwort abundant and often of exceptionally good size. As blue-flowered ones were growing together with pink-flowered ones they are probably all the Common rather than Chalk species
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A good patch of Agrimony (Rose family) and some fine Eyebright (‘Scroph’ family)
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At the entrance a big Spindle with plenty of (unripe) spindles
Roman snails were also robust & numerous.
Heydon High Meadows
(going west from Heydon towards Great Chishill, soon after passing the Animal Shelter on your left, park on the right in the gap opposite the research centre with a security fence)
Outstanding species, in the right-hand meadow as you get towards the oak tree.
- Grass Vetchling (Lathyrus nissolia), a very fine, sweetly scattered group, the grass-like leaves unique for a legume
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Yellowwort (Blackstonia perfoliata; Gentian family), a few small but showy groups, all the plants of exceptionally good size, especially the flowers
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Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis), a good number, just coming into full flower
Other legumes: Meadow Vetchling, some big masses; Common Vetch, scattered
Also: Red Bartsia (Scroph family), esp. one big patch. Common St John’s Wort and Rough Hawksbeard here and there. Cut-leaved Cranesbill, very smart, along the access path.
A Ringlet butterfly was also seen:
