polhill

Bluebells are over – what’s next?
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Bluebells are over – what’s next?

The bluebells are truly finished. They won’t be mentioned again until next year. So what’s replacing them? Well, don’t expect such fantastic sheets of colour in the woods themselves, now they’re becoming increasingly shady but around the fringes and in the glades foxgloves will begin to bloom. Some of the best are on the Oldbury, Ide Hill, Hosey Hill, One Tree Hill and Underriver walks. Red campion, stitchword, wild garlic (brilliant on the One Tree Hill walks on the path to Ightham Mote) and soon orchids are the other main contenders. If you missed the bluebells, don’t worry – there are plenty of vivid hues to come on the walks but they’ll be more dotted about a bit. The orchids are my favourites – but we’ll talk about that later. Having said all that, we will need some rain …

  • Common spotted orchids on the Oldbury walk
  • Common spotted orchid
    Common spotted orchid, High Elms/Cuckoo Wood, Kent
  • Fragrant orchid Polhill
  • Foxgloves, Hosey Common
  • Iris at Bore Place on the Bough Beech walk
  • Poppies near Romney Street
  • Sainfoin, a very insect-friendly plant
  • Meadow Brown butterfly on scabious
    Meadow brown butterfly on scabious flower on side of Fackenden Down
  • Knapweed and wild carrot
    Knapweed and wild carrot – later in summer
  • Campions, Dunstall woods on Shoreham mk2
  • Mallow, Chevening.
    Mallow, Chevening.
Pluto promenade
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Pluto promenade

The Polhill/Pluto walk was a delight this week; a chance encounter with a brown argus butterfly (pictured below by sort-of-accident while focusing on scabious flowers) on the Polhill Kent Wildlife Trust patch a highlight. The Andrew’s Wood segment of Shoreham Woods was full of great willowherb, marjoram and wild parsnip – a colourful brew. On the Darent Valley floor itself the sunflowers at Filston Farm were a treat and there were still some wild verbascum flowers in bloom at Sepham Farm. Very few birds were seen which is quite normal for this time of year although a hobby, a buzzard and a suspected corn bunting at Filston Farm were notable spots, while swallows were beginning to gather for their big goodbye. Yellowhammer were heard but not seen at the foot of Polhill.