A disaster on the Downs? Hopefully not!

A lot goes on up on the hills at this time of year above Lewes and as ever I started my Spring walks early in May to be sure to see the first blooms of the rare Burnt Orchids behind Mount Caburn.

These Orchids have a double bulb and a few weeks after the first flower dies back a second one pops up, thus my habit of looking for them early so as not to miss anything.

However, this year was different, very different.

The area where the bulbs are is roughly the size of a tennis court and is, as you can see here, short meadow grasses and flowers, including common orchids such as Spotted and Pyramidal and has been so of at least the past 10 years that I have been visiting. There are on average about 50 blooms each year give or take perhaps 10 and they come up twice don't forget.

The photo above was taken two years ago on May 14th (the first blooming)

It's now the last week in June and all that has appeared in the last 3 weeks is one bloom that is a washed out all white one that I have never seen before!

Unless this is an even rarer orchid that I haven't seen before I have to say I suspect something is amiss

So what is different here this year?

Exmore ponies, I believe, have been introduced to to improve the habitat. They have now been moved and are rather unhappy having been here to long and have reduced this area to a dust bowl! Thankfully not on the Burnt orchid area but take a look at the orchid area..

It's absolutely thick with horse poo and do doubt pee too!

I do hope I'm wrong and actually apart from no sign of any Burnt orchids the other common orchids are up. The big issue is why was this experiment allowed? I'm told that Burnt orchids need a specific soil type, PH, and a companion fungi to thrive (check Wikipedia)

I'm also told that no such samples were taken before the ponies were introduced and nor was a test area considered and fencing off the area where these very rare orchids have happily grown for so long.

I do hope I'm wrong and I may well be but can anyone more informed help please?

Meanwhile after all those walks up and down I have at least irritated my foot, that underwent a serious operation 8 weeks ago and I must rest up for a week..... on the Scottish Isle of Bute!

Hopefully I'll return with a cheerful blog for you.

Steve