Hutton Common 21st May 2011

A dozen members met at the cattle grid south of Hutton-le-Hole village on a cloudy, but dry morning; later the day improved with the sun breaking through. Hutton Common is a wonderful site, known as a hot-spot for wild flowers, with limestone and neutral grassland, a steep rocky slope, scrub and woodland. There are old records of frog and bee orchids on this site, but neither has been seen recently. We hoped to find these but did not, although we did see many other plants, including the locally rare houndstongue and deadly nightshade along with several orchids (including a couple of new sites for fly orchids). Many of the plants were very short, some of the fly orchids barely 4in tall, probably as a result of the very dry early Spring (our total rainfall for March and April combined was less than 8mm, or a third of an inch).

We walked (slowly) along the top of the common parallel to the road before joining the road down to the ford, passing the small house known as Treacle Castle (though its proper name according to the map is Yoadwath Villa). The verges of this road are very rich botanically, including a few plants of houndstongue, one of which was just coming into flower. Later in the year the seeds of this plant are very intriguing, rather like a cushion with four rounded sections. There was a 7-spot ladybird sunning itself on a leaf nearby.

We stopped for lunch by the river at the bottom and then walked through the woodland, gradually climbing back up the bank. In the woods fly and greater butterfly orchids were in flower. Orchids are fascinating for all sorts of reasons, not least the fact that their flowers turn over as they open (in fact most orchid flowers are upside down, and you can see a twist in the stalk). I love this picture showing one of the “flies” mid-turn. These flowers have evolved to resemble female flies so closely that the males try and mate with them, picking up pollen from the orchid in the process and transferring it to another flower thus pollinating it. Extraordinary!

There are also early purple orchids here, but they were almost finished, and the curious green-flowered twayblades, which are also members of the orchid family. This rather fine specimen in bud (below) has germander speedwell growing at its feet.

Greater butterfly orchids are scattered throughout these woods, but only a few are accessible from the path. They can grow up to a foot or so tall but this year most are much shorter. The close-up shows the “pollinia” or pollen-bearing structures diverging and widely spaced, which shows we have the larger of our two native butterfly orchids here. The long spurs are filled with nectar, and these flowers are pollinated by moths, mostly at dusk or in the night. The flowers are said to develop a fragrance in the evening and also reflect light (possibly ultraviolet) so they almost glow in the dark. An interesting theory which I must test one day....

Finally we emerged at the top near some old quarries and saw many different plants, including limestone specialists such as rockrose and the leaves of ploughman’ spikenard and great mullein, as well as common species like wild strawberry and common storksbill (related to the cranesbills, but with fern-like divided leaves).

We looked in vain for the bee orchids but did see some deadly nightshade in flower (left). This remarkable plant may have escaped from an old monastic physic garden, but it seems very happy in the wild here – as well as in Spaunton Quarry nearby. Later the peculiar purple flowers produce black berries which are of course poisonous. I also managed to get a shot of a striking red cardinal beetle.

There was a small patch of hairy rock-cress, which is rare in Ryedale though I have seen it on the Wolds. It is a curious little plant that holds its leaves and seedpods upright against the stem as the close-up shows – as well as revealing the hairs!

Hairy rock-cress Arabis hirsuta showing the habit (left) and details of the flower-head and stem with the leaves held upright close to the stem (above).

In addition to the flora we saw or heard several birds and insects, including quite a few ladybirds and the rather fine cardinal beetle pictured above. Jim was studying the spiders and showed us one particular specimen, of a female carrying her clutch of eggs under her abdomen. Unfortunately she did not sit still enough for a photo!

Birds
Woodpigeon, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Jackdaw, Chaffinch, Blackcap, Blackbird, Great Tit, Song Thrush, Carrion Crow, Rook, Long-tailed Tit, Robin, Swift, Tawny Owl (dead), Swallow, Grey Wagtail, Jay, Lapwing, Pheasant and Red-legged Partridge (thanks Jim for the list).

Butterflies
Orange Tip, Large White, Small White and Brimstone.

Other insects:
7-spot ladybird and Cardinal Beetle Pyrochroa coccinea (thanks Pauline for the id).

Snail
Banded Snail (Cepaea hortensis).

Tick
Ixodes ricinus (beaten from gorse). Commonly found on sheep and deer.

Spider list will follow

Plants

145 plants