Red Helleborines in Buckinghamshire

Upon first opening my “Britain’s Orchids” book over 10 years ago, there were 3 species in particular that took my breath away. The curious Monkey Orchids that live on the Oxfordshire hillsides, the enigmatic and mysterious Ghost Orchid that only very rarely emerges from the depths of the dark woodland floor, and the exceptionally beautiful and graceful Red Helleborine, restricted to just three sites deep in the heart of our majestic beechwoods.

With large flowers tinted in a delicate shade of rose-pink, these stunning orchids instantly caught my attention, their extreme rarity just as alluring as their beauty. However the tight secrecy surrounding sites and the fact that flowering didn’t occur every year prevented me from seeing them – until now.

With just three known sites in recent times, the Hampshire population has sadly now disappeared entirely, with no flowers having been spotted since 2003 and plants last occurring at the site in 2008. The Red Helleborines in Gloucestershire are unfortunately enclosed by a large and very high fence preventing close access to the flowers, and although having increased in number over the last few years, this year just one flowering spike has been seen. Visitors are also not encouraged. This just leaves the Buckinghamshire site as a location where close, but restricted and monitored access can be arranged - permits are required to visit and low key open days led by a warden are organised once or twice a year if the Helleborines flower.

Having managed to obtain a permit and taking a day off work to go on the second (and last) open day of the year, I arrived on site ready to finally see this most wanted of species. With just 3 visitors present on the Friday, our Monday tour had proved exceptionally popular, with record numbers booking on and meaning that we were split into two groups to ensure everyone got a chance to admire the flowers. With a brief tour of the site to enable the first group to take ample photographs, we soon swapped over and were led to the enclosure – impossible to find amongst the maze of trees unless you knew where you were going.

A view of the surrounding countryside before being taken to the enclosure

Like the Gloucestershire population, the Buckinghamshire Red Helleborines are enclosed by several fences, with a large inner fence surrounding the orchids to prevent grazing by deers or trampling by humans. With the decision taken a few years ago to no longer allow entry through the fence, I was extremely glad my dad suggested I take my 400m lens with me – the macro proved useless!

Crowding around the metal wires we peered excitedly under the trees, and there, nestled among the blades of grass was a single Red Helleborine spike. Even more beautiful in person than in any photos, the dainty pink flowers were in an absolutely perfect condition and luckily facing the fence – we couldn’t have asked for a better specimen. Thankfully the fencing had gaps big enough to fit my lens through, and was luckily just far enough away from the orchid for my lens to focus on the petals (the closest focusing distance is 3.6 metres!)

With no flowering spikes in 2014 and with just a single one this year, the future is looking quite uncertain at this site, with the population having been in decline here for the last 10 years. Following the lead of the Gloucestershire site where flowers increased after controlled management and the thinning of trees, the same seems to have had the opposite effect here in the Chilterns, with far fewer plants since the canopy was opened up. Even though there were several blind spikes nearby, the warden informed us that these were all clones of the same plant – not good for the long term survival of Red Helleborine at this site.

Whilst taking photographs, we noticed a small hoverfly visiting one of the flowers and I managed several shots of it caught in the act searching for nectar. With little known about Red Helleborine pollination, it is opportunities like these that enable us to further our understanding as to the needs of this delicate flower.

Platycheirus species of hoverfly - probably albimanus

With everyone satisfied with their views it was time to leave, and as a group we were led back through the trees and back on to the road, leaving the flower to its solitary existence once more.

With the Critically Endangered Red Helleborine on the very edge of its range here in Britain, and having already vanished completely from one of its former sites, it is a holding on to a very precarious existence indeed here in the UK. Several efforts are being made to aid with the conservation of this precious orchid, but with numbers declining, only time will tell how long the population here can cling on for. One thing for sure is that it would be a huge loss to the British countryside if this absolutely beautiful orchid was lost for good, unable to capture imaginations and inspire future generations like it did for me all those years ago. 

Black Hairstreaks in Oxfordshire!

Whilst visiting the Red Helleborine in Buckinghamshire, the warden informed me of a nearby colony of Black Hairstreaks, a species of butterfly I had yet to see and one which has a stronghold down in the Chilterns. With numerous individuals often found at Whitecross Green Woods in Oxfordshire and armed with instructions as to their favourite haunts on the reserve, we headed off to try and catch up with this rarest of hairstreaks. With an exceptionally short flight season consisting of the last two weeks in June and the first week in July, we were nearing the end of when they would be active, but I was still hopeful that we would be able to spot some individuals, with the butterfly having apparently had a good year in 2015.

The weather wasn’t perfect - overcast with a slight breeze - although this can often work favourably whilst searching for hairstreaks, which venture lower down in these types of conditions and can often be found sheltering at eye level as opposed to fluttering manically in the treetops.

Despite the clouds, the reserve was absolutely alive with butterflies - Meadow Browns and Ringlets darted through the grass whilst Small and Large Skippers buzzed from flower to flower. Stalking the Blackthorn bushes along the edge of the main ride however revealed nothing apart from several bees taking advantage of a clear glut of nectar. I was determined there must be a Black Hairstreak still active in amongst the Blackthorn bushes so headed back, keeping a sharp look out for any movement.

Focusing on a low down branch I spotted a shade of brown – and sure enough upon looking closer, there as clear as day and sat perfectly on a leaf was a pristine Black Hairstreak, completely in the open and almost waiting to be found.

Very similar to White-letter Hairstreaks, Black Hairstreaks can be told apart by the row of distinctive black spots running along the inside of the orange band on the underside of the hindwing, which are absent in White-letter Hairstreaks. The White-letter Hairstreaks also have a more prominent white line on the hindwing which forms the letter ‘W’, and this is far less pronounced in Black Hairstreaks where the line is relatively straight. In flight and darting around the treetops however, it is nearly impossible to separate the two, so I was extremely glad our butterfly was settled and still.

One of our rarest species of butterfly, Black Hairstreaks have a very restricted distribution, occurring only in a corridor running from Oxfordshire to Cambridgeshire. Whilst the population is currently stable, the future of this fragile butterfly undoubtedly lies in appropriate habitat management and protection which will ensure its ongoing survival.

Watching my prized find and calling others who were searching over, their movement sadly flushed it from its resting spot. Thankfully it only fluttered a few metres away to the next tree, and posing with the classic position of the wings closed, we watched as it slowly turned, angling its wings towards the sun to make the most of the warmth.

Eventually, the Hairstreak tired of our attention and fluttered gracefully over the leaves, spiralling higher up before eventually becoming lost in the tangle of Blackthorn.

An abundance of Marbled Whites proved to be another attraction at this reserve, flitting amongst the purple flowerheads and jostling for position over the best spikes. With no Marbled Whites in Cheshire, this is a butterfly I rarely get to see often, so I relished the opportunity to observe them in such large numbers. Having a tendency to fly strongly and constantly move whilst nectaring, I always find them a difficult subject photographic wise, so spent a good while getting up close to them – one even landed on my shoe!

The Chilterns really is one of my favourite places, and the beautiful purring of a Turtle Dove drifting on the breeze was a perfect soundtrack to the afternoon. It wasn’t long before one burst through the trees and flew swiftly overhead, the diagnostic diamond shaped black tail clear to see before it landed on a nearby wire to put on a fantastic show as it purred happily above our heads. 

It’s really sad to think that this once abundant farmland dove is in such a steep decline (up to 96% in some areas - making it one of the fastest declining British birds) and that one day we might sadly lose this enigmatic summer visitor from our shores entirely.

A successful trip with Red Helleborines and Black Hairstreak the stars of the show, it was a fantastic way to spend the day in a truly beautiful area and a day-off from work well spent!