David Gibbs

Possibly one of the rarest plants I found in Bulgaria, endemic to the Pirin Mountains - Centaurea achtarovii @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @europeanorchids.bsky.social

Yes, I know it well, shall be there this evening😊

The two 5-spot burnets are essentially indistinguishable as adults in the field. Habitat and presence of food plant are indicative but not definitive. In my experience in North Somerset Z. lonicerae are common while trifolii is vanishingly rare. But things are always changing!

That one is certainly showing the features of fasciatus, but we have 3 species in Britain!

Presumably Zygaena lonicerae? in that habitat both could be present.

I don't think this can be fasciatus, possibly sexualis?

Opiliones, harvestman

Which race are your Dorset insects?

Right, such variation in Z. lonicerae seems to be very rare, I see lots of them. In Z.t.palustrella these fused spots seem common, but I've not seen them in Z.t.trifolii, although said to occur? Frequency?

Is this equally frequent in both ssp? I have seen many palustrella like this but rarely Z.t. trifolii, not that I have seen many of the latter recently.

btw what about leaf tip of xwintoni? the middle one in the collage had a typical incarnata leaf tip.

can't

Thanks Sean, I did identify a couple of plants as xwintoni but wasn't at all sure. I know, but I like to record things at the finest level available literature allows, can always amalgamate records later but can disassociate them if didn't take note.

Some of the variety of Dactylorhiza incarnata, Early Marsh Orchid at Kenfig. Top Dactylorhiza (incarnata) coccinea, middle showing characteristics of Dactylorhiza (incarnata) lobelii, bottom perhaps Dactylorhiza incarnata incarnata var dunensis? @ukorchids.bsky.social @europeanorchids.bsky.social

Or are they are doing the opposite, trying to stand out by looking like an inflorescence very attractive to insects?

👍

that strongly suggests Adscita geryon especially of you are in the S of England?

You mention "Downs" which suggests Helianthemum, the food plant of Cistus Forester? but both might be possible.

Ah, not in my library, every book chooses its own taxonomy! Does it really call it a ssp?

Just not in my books, POWO treats it as var leucantha, a synonym of incarnata.

Not heard of ssp leucantha, will have to look that one up!

Cistus Forester Adscita geryon?

Inocybe dulcamara Bittersweet Fibrecap and Agrocybe praecox Spring Fieldcap from Kenfig, S Wales.

Well it certainly immediately stood out as something different to me in the field, both in stature and labellum shape. Spur shape seems to be intermediate between HSO and CSO?

Thanks Sean, so what would you look at in the field that you can't see in the photo?

Possibly D. xtransiens? Many D. maculata present but no D. fuchsii although the numerous D. xgrandis testify to the influence of fuchsii and it has been recorded at the site previously. @ukorchids.bsky.social

Excellent spot, have surveyed it for inverts. Still very much learning these infraspecific orchid taxa.

1,3,4,6 and 10 all have cylindrical inflorescence and solid purple loops on labellum. Why aren't these junialis? Looks like the Shapwick plants???

Excellent, then I can see that the lower one in my photo clearly clasps the stem all round, so this is a caudal not a bracteoidal leaf, so 4 bracteoidal leaves present! I have asked several times and not got an answer before, many thanks.

OK, wasn't sure, I counted it because it clasps the stem?