Gloucestershire has many wonderful places to see orchids, but for me Swift’s Hill is a favourite. This steep hilled pasture is tucked away off a tiny lane overlooking Slad. It surprises and changes with each visit and is remarkable for… (READ MORE)
Southern Marsh Orchid Dactylorhiza praetermissa One of the commonest orchids in southern England. It hybridises often particularly with Spotted Orchids and other Marsh Orchids. This means accurate identification can be difficult. Generally it has the sturdiest flower stem (except for… (READ MORE)
Autumn Lady’s Tresses Spiranthes Spirales This very small orchid is one of the last flowering of the season, with blooms extending into mid September. Growing on dry, chalky down land it has faced a steep decline due to land ‘improvement’…. (READ MORE)
There are between 50 and 60 wild orchids in the UK but for many the difference between the the different types of purple spike orchids or the different Helleborines (or even that they are orchids!) might not be that much… (READ MORE)
What does a community owe a government if its social contract has not been honoured? Around 2010 the then Mayor of Detroit proposed withdrawing from round 40% of the city; no services, no regular policing and no maintenance of streets… (READ MORE)
When I was kid with a small plot of my parents garden, I planted some snakes head fritilaries and I always wanted to find them in the wild. So it was great to find the reserves around Cricklade this spring. Its… (READ MORE)
Over the past couple of summers I have been visiting a small field on a south west facing hill in the middle of Cider with Rosy country around Slad. It has never had pesticides, herbicides of fertilizer sprayed on it… (READ MORE)
