Salthill Quarry Nature Reserve ~ June.

So I returned as promised to Salthill Nature Reserve in Clitheroe to look for the elusive Bee Orchid. There was a photo of one on a local wildlife group, but could I find it? Well nope! However there was still plenty to see and it was nice to wander round the reserve.

There were lots of Speckled Woods in the woodland areas.
And scented Dog Roses adorned the pathways.
The poisonous Cuckoo Pints green berry stalks cover the woodland floor.
The Common Blues looked vividly blue.
Honey scented flowers of Agrimony were once added to mead.
This rabbit sat and watched me from a woodland clearing.
A new wild flower sighting for me ~ Round leaved Wintergreen. The leaves remain evergreen through winter.
I saw a few Brown Ringlets.
Common spotted orchid.

I snuck into a gated off meadow which might not have been part of the reserve. Whoops! There were vast amounts of ox-eye daisies in there which were buzzing with bees and small dragonflies.

Daisy fest. 🌼
Small tortoishell on daisy.
And on bramble blossom.
Red Clover. This one looks particularly vibrant.
I didn’t have a clue what this was! I thought it may be some rarity, but then someone told me it was a cowslip gone to seed. 😜
Small tortoishell on wild thyme.
Cinnabar Moth.
I always get my Cinnabar’s and Six spotted Burnet’s mixed up. I should just count the spots. 😊

So despite not coming across the bee orchid, it was a successful visit. Have you visited a nature reserve recently?

27 thoughts on “Salthill Quarry Nature Reserve ~ June.”

  1. Great 📷! Are you doing the Big Butterfly Count 19 July – 11 Aug (www.bigbutterflycount.org)? You’ve got most of them on your travels today!

  2. Looks like a great place for wildlife, especially butterflies 🙂 I did a canal walk last weekend and managed to photograph two butterflies – they never usually stay still long enough for me! 🙂

  3. Looks like you had a good day. The only visit to a nature reserve I’ve managed since lockdown was relaxed yielded a glut of Meadow Browns, but not one other butterfly. But there was a splendid male Mandarin Duck out on the water, which made up for the monotony of the butterflies.

    1. Oh Mandarin ducks are splendid! I would be happy to see one of those. Have seen some meadow brown’s too recently in the fields when taking my dog for a walk.

  4. Great pics – as always. Love the butterflies best. Barely seen one down here with all the rain. Shame you didn’t spot your orchid – fingers crossed for next time.

  5. Lovely Sharon & am always impressed by your knowledge of plants & insects. Thanks for sharing the wonderful photos. Have a great weekend, take care & huggles.

  6. Love the roses and daisies. We have them here too. Tough buggers, they grow in ditches and along the gravel roads. And you have so many butterflies!!

  7. Similarly, I’ve been fruitlessly searching for Fly Orchids. I’ve had no luck, but I’ve had a lot of fun whilst looking.

      1. Me neither, apparently this summer they were even harder to spot than usual because they didn’t grow very tall. I’ve definitely noticed that with other orchids too.

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