Beauty in reserve
We have visited a fair number of Wildlife Trust reserves in our time and many of them are exceptionally good for nature, but it’s rare to find one as beautiful as it is rich in wildlife.
A path bedecked in buttercups led to the edge of a steep-sided valley. With small woodlands on either side and wildflowers growing in profusion, Coombe Bissett Down is idyllic.
One of the most striking and obvious species was the greater broomrape, a parasitic flower. Here, it grows tall and, lacking the green pigment of chlorophyll, its stems and flowers are various shades of yellow, pink, cream and brown.
Orchids were plentiful. We found lots of fragrant and common spotted orchids and, eventually, a small number of burnt orchids, the county flower of Wiltshire. The profusion of wildflowers, such as rockrose, dyer’s greenweed, yellow rattle, dropwort, salad burnet and milkwort, made the experience so beautiful.
As the temperature rose, butterflies and other insects became active. We came upon a slope where Adonis blue butterflies were on the wing. The striking blue of the male makes him unmistakable, but close examination, if these skittish butterflies allow, also reveals distinctive black veins.
TOP TIP The car park is suitable for smaller motorhomes. It is a seven-mile bike ride from Salisbury C&CC Site. Buses also serve Coombe Bissett village
salisburyreds.co.uk
Pennings Drove, Salisbury SP5 4NA wiltshirewildlife.org