On the hottest day of the year, where temperatures reached 30oC in Manchester, Josh and I headed north with the first stop being the limestone outcrop of Warton Crag. Walking up towards the top of the crag we found several Northern Brown Argus and some Grayling settling on the path and the limestone outcrop. On the top where there is extensive bracken we found several Dark Green Fritillary, most flying far to fast to photograph although occasionally one would settle. Other species seen included Small & Large Skipper, Ringlet, Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Comma, Speckled Wood, Small & Large White and Meadow Brown.
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Grayling
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Grayling
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Northern Brown Argus
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Northern Brown Argus
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Next stop was Gait Barrows in the hope that the Dark-red Helleborines would now be in flower. We were not disappointed! Three magnificent spikes were in full flower growing in between the fissures in the limestone pavement. To finish the day off we had a quick stop at Hawes Water about a kilometre further down the road where we found a few Fragrant Orchids and some Common Spotted Orchids.
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Common Spotted Orchid
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Common Spotted Orchid
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Dark-red Helleborine
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| Dark-red Helleborine |
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| Dark-red Helleborine |
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| Dark-red Helleborine |
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Fragrant Orchid
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