Plentiful rainfall during the month encouraged the dune plants, especially the later-flowering orchids, like the Marsh Helleborine (Epipactis  palustris).  Many slacks along the coast were a stunning vista of wall-to-wall helleborines, and I was also delighted to find two small colonies of the rare white variety ochroleuca at Birkdale.  Similarly, the pink Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis) has done remarkably well this year.  It used to be quite hard to find on the dunes but, following a national trend probably linked to climate change, populations of this mainly southern plant have boomed in recent years.  On 6^th  July, I tried to count the flower spikes on Ainsdale Sandhills but gave up at 860.  Then I heard there was another big colony at Cabin Hill.  In two visits a few days later, I reached an incredible total of 4872 Pyramidal Orchids.  I must have missed plenty, so the true population is certainly over 5000!  For the first time ever, I also found about a dozen white specimens, the flower books saying that this form is rarely seen.

While criss-crossing the dunes, I also encountered several Dark Green Fritillaries, our rarest coastal butterfly and also the fastest flying.  This species occurs most frequently on Ainsdale National Nature Reserve and I couldn’t remember having seen it at Cabin Hill before.  Its caterpillars feed on Heath Dog-violet (Viola canina) and there is certainly plenty of that at Cabin Hill.   However, apart from the ubiquitous Meadow Browns, butterfly numbers were generally disappointing during the month, a reflection of the second wet summer in succession.  The sun-loving dragonflies have also suffered, though on the occasional warm day, our largest species, the Emperor, could be seen cruising the dune scrapes at Birkdale and elsewhere.  A relatively new arrival on the coast, the Black-tailed Skimmer, also made an appearance with three together at Cabin Hill.