Monday 4th.May 2009

A pleasant enough morning , and although it was Bank Holiday , when I try my best not to be on the road , I suggested a run out into deepest Kent , before the roads get too busy . We set off , and a couple of miles from home , where we join the A21. , I thought I had dropped one . The junction was jammed on all approaches with motor bikes and riders . It was only then I remembered it was an annual run to the coast , I think . The good thing was that they were still arriving , whilst we were on our way . It was amazing how many people were out on the verges and on the bridges over the A21. all the way down to Lamberhurst . There we turned off to Goudhurst , and then headed towards Marden , not a million miles away from the world famous 'Pittswood Patch ' . Carol was enjoying the quiet country lanes , when I swung into a car park with a Kent Wildlife Trust logo on the gate - Marden Meadow .

We walked through the first field and into the second , the field I have visited on previous visits , but not for some years now . The Meadow infront of us was full of Green Winged Orchids . It was like paradise , the flowers the birdsong and gentle heat from the hazy sunshine , making it all perfect . This must be one of the best sites for this Orchid in Kent , if not even further afield . The colour varies from deep Purple ,through Pink ,

even to White .

The derivation of the name comes from the green veined hood that shrouds the top of the flower , and can be seen best on the white variant above . The lighter coloured flowers are meant to give off a strong vanilla scent , but I must say that I didn't notice it . Also in the meadow , mainly in a damp corner , was Adderstongue_Ophioglossum vulgatum .

Although looking as if it should be in the Arum family , like Lords and Ladies , it is in fact a member of the Fern family , strange looking plants , holding aloft their spadix-like spike of spores . As can be seen from the photographs , they are only about 5/7cm. high , and can be easily overlooked in the swarth of grass where they grow . The only other colour in the meadow was provided by Meadow Bottercup , which was starting to come into flower , but lots of Vetches , Yellow Rattle , Dyer's Greenweed and Knapweeds are pushing through , so I think another visit later in the year will be on the cards .

Although we had hazy sunshine , a cool breeze was blowing , and only 2 Green Veined Whites and a single Large White were recorded on the butterfly front .

Birds did much better with male and female Blackcap and male Bullfinch found almost as soon as we got into the second field . These were followed by Common Whitethroat , Chiffchaff , my first Turtle Dove of the year , Wren , Yellowhammer , Swallow , and most unexpectedly , deep in Willow between the damp corner and the railway line on my second lap , a Reed Warbler .

My only disappointment with the visit was that there was no sign of the Water Violet-Hottonia palustris , that was all over a small pond by the roadside , it was the only place that I have found this pretty little water plant .

Coming home , the traffic was bad trying to get onto the roundabout at the north end of the Lamberhurst bypass , but after that , our side was clear all the way home . The queue on the southbound stretched from the Pembury Hospital roundabout , right back to Hayesden Country Park , and the motor bikes were still heading down to the coast .

By the time we got to Pollhill , it had started raining , we had had the best of the day in a beautiful meadow .