How to get to the middle of nowhere by public transport is a recurring theme in this diary. Most public transport runs to somewhere the public wants to go. But even so there are possibilities, generally a train then a bus to somewhere remote then start walking. Or in this case a train and a ferry.

 I took the train to King's Lyn then the little foot ferry across the River Great Ouse to West Lyn where the coast path leads to the Wash. This broad bay between Norfolk and Lincolnshire is the estuary of four rivers: the aforementioned Ouse, the Witham, Welland and Nene.

 The coast past follows an earthen sea wall. On the land side are the flat and fertile Fenland fields, agriculture made possible by extensive drainage. Looking towards the sea is a panoramic vista of mudflats, salt marshes, sand dunes, shingle banks and lagoons. The sea itself is the thin line of the horizon. 

 Britain is a small island and there are not many places where one gets a sense of vast empty space where land, sea and sky merge. I've sometimes said there is no true wilderness in the UK, even our wilder regions have been shaped by human activity. Arguably the Wash is indeed a wilderness. 

 Self-seeded annual Borage is growing among the Jerusalem Artichokes I planted on the allotment. Actually I was expecting Borage in the adjacent bed which was a mass of it last year. Mysteriously only one has appeared there and the rest next door. Seems to be a happy accident because the Artichoke stems will grow to 8 or 10 foot tall whereas the Borage is bushy.

 Parched in South London and the south generally but rain is forecast over the next few days. The garden seems to be as dry as last year's drought summer despite the wet spring. I have planted on the assumption that the hardy species I favour will tough it out through any conditions but I lost a number of plants as a consequence of the drought.

 Viper's Bugloss (Echium vulgare). A wildflower that's worthy of a place in any garden, seen here on the neighbouring allotment. Biennial, self-seeder, likes a dry sunny spot. In every list of best bee plants.  

 Knapweeds come into flower in June. Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra) is indeed common, also known as Black Knapweed and Lesser Knapweed. Greater Knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa) is also widespread. 

 Common Knapweed as seen above has a more compact flowerhead and alternate slender leaves. Greater Knapweed has an altogether bigger flowerhead; the alternating leaves are segmented. Both have vivid purple flowers much visited by bees and butterflies.  

 

Bumblebee at work.

 

Sunset on the longest day.

 Peach-Leaved Bellflower (Campanula persicifolia). A garden plant in the UK but a wildflower of mountain meadows in Continental Europe.

 I mentioned the orchids at Hexton Chalk Pit earlier in the week. Another plant was much in evidence among the grasses: Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia). This is a deep rooted species which grows on thin chalky soils. Bees were very active in their foraging...

 The Soil Association devotes a page on its website to the benefits of Sainfoin, noting that it was largely overlooked as agriculture industrialised in the post-war period. They advocate sowing it as part of a herbal 'ley' for example with Spring Barley and Fescue grasses. They mention it is an excellent source of protein for livestock, acts as a natural wormer in livestock, reduces bloat and drastically reduces the production of greenhouse gasses such as methane during digestion. 

 Sainfoin is a nitrogen fixer and the deep roots pull up nutrients from the soil as well as making it highly drought resistant. Many legumes are good for honey but O. viciifolia produces higher yields of honey than any other legume. No wonder the bees were so interested in it.

 Probably Allium christophii aka Star of Persia. I like the big flower heads on these- they look a bit raggy yet highly structured at the same time. One of the Alliums referred to as 'ornamental onions'.

Where there are brambles there are bumblebees.

Pyramidal Orchid at Hexton Chalk Pit.

 Hexton Chalk Pit long since ceased to be used for that purpose and "has been colonised naturally by fine-leaved fescue grasses and chalk-loving plants as well as five species of orchid". I'm quoting the description given by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust who manage the site as a nature reserve. The Common Spotted Orchid (below) is indeed common here. The other four are the Fragrant Orchid, Pyramidal Orchid, Bee Orchid and Common Twayblade. 

 Misty blue. Nigella damascena is sometimes called Love-in-a-mist. There are forms in various shades of blue as well as hues of pink and lavender and a white form. From Southern Europe, popular in English gardens from Elizabethan times. An annual that self-seeds busily on well drained soils in sunny spots. 

 Campanula posharskyana sprawls and scrambles up and down the steps and round to my front door. Sometimes called the Trailing Bellflower it thinks it's back home in the Dinaric Alps. The hum of bees is loud and constant from dawn till dusk. The mass of flowers attracts both honey bees and bumblebees. 

 Photographs of bumblebees are usually a regular feature of this diary. But not this year thus far. Bumblebees generally emerge in late winter and early spring to forage on the first flowers. My impression is they have been scarce, probably the effect of the cold winter and the cool damp spring. It seems we are in for a flaming June and the bumblebees are out in force. This one was making its way around the Comfrey on the allotment.

 

 The Small Ermine moth seems to be having a good year. A couple of weeks ago I saw this mass of 'cobwebs' in a green lane in Hertfordshire. On closer inspection they were crawling with caterpillars; they spin the web for protection as they transition into moths. Since then I've seen a number of photos in the national media of similarly extensive webbing.

 There are eight species of Small Ermine moth. I think those shown above must be the Orchard Ermine (Yponomeuta padella) which is found mainly on Hawthorn and (as is the case here) Blackthorn. The importance of our surviving hedgerows has been a theme in this diary recently. 

 Meadow planting has become popular in recent years. Meadow-like is perhaps a better way of describing it because on the whole actual meadows are survivals of pre-industrial agriculture, for example the traditional hay meadow. The new 'meadow' above is in the grounds of Benslow Music School.

 Various seed mixtures are available for sowing on a large scale. The species in each mix are selected according to their suitability for particular conditions e.g. chalky soil, clay, moist/dry etc. What tends to happen in practice is that several of the species will dominate. The soil and aspect in a certain locale may be particularly favourable for them and often they will be the more generalist wildflowers.

 Case in point the meadow at Benslow is currently a mass of Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare). Sometimes called Moon Daisy they are prolific and not just in meadows- often seen in drifts along roadside verges, by railway tracks, on field margins etc. They spread vigorously by self-seeding and creeping rhizomes; one of our common wildflowers that is still common. Whether by accident or design the sight of Moon Daisies en masse is spectacular.      

 The Pasqueflower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) is another one of Knocking Hoe's rarities. They are not as prolific as Church Hill on Therfield Heath [see entry dated 20th. April] but the Hoe is noted for being a surviving habitat of the Pasqueflower. 

 There were several dozen gone to seed adjacent to the Burnt-tip Orchids. I noticed some had little plastic bags tied over the seed heads. A novel way to collect seed for propagation purposes in addition to self-seeding. Knocking Hoe is managed as a nature reserve so no doubt this is part of their conservation programme. 

 My particular reason for visiting Knocking Hoe last weekend was to see the rare Burnt-tip Orchid. This pocket of chalk grassland is home to various other orchid species. A passer by identified the one shown above as a Common Spotted Orchid coming into flower. Not so rare but no longer common due to habitat loss.

 NB I was somewhat critical of the way in which the colony of Burnt-tip Orchids is fenced off. I have since read that this small section of hillside is the only site in East Anglia and the East Midlands where the species survives. In that sense the wish to protect them is understandable. 

 The wildflower patch on the allotment is flowering wildly- Field Scabious, Sweet Rocket, Red Campion et al. A combination of planting and seed scattering over the past few years has created something akin to the kind of wild edge one sees in the countryside. 

 Alliums extend the bulb season into early summer. This one is probably A. hollandicum 'Purple Sensation', actually native to Iran and Krygyzstan. If you have a sunny spot in well drained soil a big bag of these won't cost much in the autumn. Round about now they rise up to give some height and vivid colour to a herbaceous border.