Carline thistle

Well it was a long, long day. Awake at 4.20am and out of bed just after 5.00, to catch the 6.10 train down to Wareham. We finally returned home just after 11pm! Although it took a long time, all the trains and taxis were more or less on time, which we were grateful for.

Our final destination was an area of land next to an old quarry, with ponds and grassland. It's always a treat doing fieldwork in Dorset as we find southern and acid-loving species that just don't live anywhere near Peterborough. The site didn't disappoint, with species such as hairy bird's-foot trefoil, shoreweed, great green bush cricket and grayling butterfly.

The latter species is widespread on the coast and southern heaths, but is declining in many areas, particularly inland. It's not an easy butterfly to photograph. When it's active it's not too difficult to spot as it has a distinctive looping and gliding flight, during which the paler bands on the upperwings are visible. But when it stops it can be incredibly difficult to spot, as it sits completely camouflaged and motionless on bare ground, tree trunks, or stones. The wings are kept closed when not in flight and the fore wings are usually tucked behind the hind wings, concealing the eyespots and making the butterfly appear smaller. It often has a distinctive lean too, to reduce the size of its shadow.

In the end it wasn't any of the unusual species or rarities that caught my eye, but the intricate pattern and sumptuous colours of this flowering carline thistle. This biennial species grows on open ground in parched soil conditions, particularly on chalk and limestone, but will aslo grow in sandy habitats. At first glance the thistle-like flowers look dry and brown, but close examination reveals a wonderful array of purple and gold colours.