puddleshark

The woods are watching you.

I went walking the Purbeck Way, in search of Early Purple Orchids...

If you arrive in Corfe Castle very early, before the Bank Holiday crowds are awake, you can park your car in the lay-by beside the castle. Then it's a quick walk across the fields, through the gap in the Purbeck Hills, to join the Purbeck Way long distance footpath.

Past the Right-angle Tree. (No, I don't know why it's growing like that. It doesn't seem polite to ask...)

Here the Bluebells are already out.

The path runs along the foot of the north side of the Purbeck Hills, through coppice woods.

Ten years ago, the woods were no longer being coppiced, and were completely overgrown with Old Man's Beard, and there were hardly any woodland flowers to be seen here in spring. Now, the conservationists have started coppicing again, cleared away the tangle of vines, allowing light to reach the woodland floor... and all the dormant seeds of woodland flowers have sprung back to life.

All along the way, primroses. A mile of primroses.

Chequered Hoverfly?

Wood Dog Violets (Viola reichenbachiana), pale coloured, narrow petals.

Darker petals, so probably a Common Dog Violet? (I forgot to take a photo of the spur & sepals, which is the only way to check).

Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum).

Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa) & Dog's Mercury (Mercurialis perennis).

Celandines too, keeping me company along the way. At the start of the walk, I had my jacket zipped, and the celandines had their flowers closed. As the day grew warmer, I unzipped my jacket, and the celandines opened their flowers.

Not a single Early Purple Orchid though. I'm sure they used to grow here, once.

New leaves on the hazel.

A Nuthatch wandering along the branches.

Here and there, there are clay deposits at the foot of the hill, and where the main path becomes a mud-trap, little paths divert up onto hillside. In some places the path might unravel into three: the bottom path (deep mud, with branches thrown in by walkers in attempt to cross dry shod), a middle path (less muddy, passable at dry times of year), and an upper path (least muddy).

Here I left the Purbeck Way, climbed an unofficial path through the woods to the hilltop.

The campsite at Norden Farm. It wasn't quite as busy as I was expecting, but then international travel is possible again, and the skies have been full of contrails, people jetting off abroad for their Easter holidays.