The Beauties of the Branch Line

Autumn wind and fitful sunshine, so off to Narborough with SP in search of gentians. Clustered bellflower or autumn gentian, it's the issue dividing the country right now. For several years I thought these were one and the same when they are CLEARLY not! The ones at Foulden Common are bellflowers, but those at Narborough railway reserve are autumn gentians, the real thing, Gentianella amarella - a chalk grassland specialist. At Narborough they grow in the short sward either side of the main path, and plenty of them. Some were already over, others yet to come but it seems that each spike never has more than two or three individual blooms in flower at any one time.

 Gentian spike

Close up of individual flower

And here's a Clustered Bellflower, so make no mistake!

Plenty of other flowers still in bloom, scabious, both greater and lesser knapweed, lady's bedstraw, restharrow, wild marjoram, plus carline thistles and impressive displays of guelder rose berries. 

Despite the conditions, quite a few butterflies were out and about. Three or four red admirals, a lone small tortoiseshell, several speckled woods, one or two green-veined whites, a single small copper, two common blues (1m, 1f) and a rather battered small skipper.

A rather tatty looking Small Copper...

...and an equally ragged Small Skipper

Harebells galore along the embankment