The bright morning soon clouded over but within a few hundred yards of the car park we came across the first few northern marsh orchids and a hybrid common spotted orchid amongst a waving cloud of meadow buttercups and fading lady\u2019s smock.\u00a0 We followed the path to the left enjoying the patches of bird\u2019s foot trefoil, field penny-cress, crosswort and fumitory – down by the lakeside a pair of oystercatchers expressed their anxiety as we neared their youngster so we returned to the path past lesser stitchwort, hop trefoil and black medick. Swathes of ox-eye daisies and meadow buttercups filled the lakeside meadow as we turned onto the path to the main hide and we were delighted to see a really beautiful display of northern marsh orchids (possibly hybrid) on both sides of the path, they are not quite fully out but still\u00a0wonderful to see.<\/p>\n
![\"Northern](\"http:\/\/wakefieldnaturalists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/NMARSHORCHID01.jpg\")
<\/a>Northern marsh orchids<\/p><\/div>\n
![\"Field](\"http:\/\/wakefieldnaturalists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/FPENNYCRESS.jpg\")
<\/a>Field panny cress<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The bright morning soon clouded over but within a few hundred yards of the car park we came across the first few northern marsh orchids and a hybrid common spotted orchid amongst a waving cloud of meadow buttercups and fading … Continue reading