Hemsted Forest and Greatstone, East Kent - 13/06/20
Hemsted Forest is a wood near to Benenden Hospital in south Kent. I had never been there before so thought I would take a walk and see what I could find. The following are the plants I photographed. It's always nice to find a Spring flower still going in to the early Summer. This is the Bugle of which I am accustomed to seeing in the presence of Bluebells and Early Purple Orchids. Ajuga reptans This is a Hard Fern, which has different leaves - one is fertile, the other isn't, thus easy to identify. Blechnum spicant The congested flowerhead of a Marsh Thistle, a plant that often exceeds six feet in height. Cirsium palustre The odd Common Sppotted Orchid was dotted along the woodland rides. Dactylorhiza fuchsii Dwarfing the orchids were Foxgloves, some well over 6 feet tall and most in full flower. A firm favourite of Bumblebees. Digitalis purpurea The big green-leaved plant is what I first noticed as it is a Broad-leaved Helleborine ( Epipactis helleborine ) , a late Summer flo...