Day 155 - June 4th

This morning we went for a walk around the Knocking Hoe Nature Reserve.

The reserve is of national importance because of the number of rare plants that flourish here and the scenery os quite amazing too.

The area is grazed to maintain the grassland in suitable condition to support the plants and wildlife.

The sheep are quite shy though and keep their distance. We surpirsed this sheep and she/he quickly tried to hide behind the smallest tree ever.

The site is one of only a handful of locations in England where the rare Burnt-tip Orchid can be found. The majority are protected with small mesh enclosures, but a few can be found outside this enclosure, and the majority are marked with a flag.

Other Orchids also grow on the site.

Common Spotted Orchid

Common Spotted Orchid

Chalk Fragrant Orchid

Marsh Fragrant Orchid

The Pasque flower is now a very rare plant in the wild, lost from many of its former sites. More than 99% of the country's pasque flowers are now found on just five sites in the UK, one of which is Knocking Hoe.