Samphire Hoe, Dover

With early spring flowers starting to pop up all over the place an afternoon trip to Samphire Hoe was in order to see the hundreds of Early Spider Orchids Ophrys sphegodes which have appeared on this man-made site. Samphire Hoe was created in 1997 using the 4.9 million cubic meters of chalk marl excavated by the building of the Channel Tunnel, creating a 30ha of new chalk down land in front of the cliffs.

The Beach at the end of Samphire Hoe, Dover

It didn't take long to find the Early-Spider Orchid with at least five plants in the overflow car park and then hundreds of plants along the paths towards the beach. It is thought that the disturbance caused by the creation of the site allowed windblown seed from nearby to take a flourish into what is currently Britain's most impressive site for this species.

Early Spider Orchid, Ophrys sphegodes

It was just the orchids which we saw, although early in the season there were still a few other species in flower. Common Milkwort Polygala vulgaris, is a small perennial plant with interesting blue or pink flowers. I was rather hoping to find a related species, Chalk Milkwort Polygala calcarea but had no luck this time.

Common Milkwort, Polygala vulgaris

Areas of scrubby vegetation, most of which was alongside the railway line contained the large flowering heads of Wayfaring Tree Viburnum lantana, a common species on calcareous soils. It white flowers will eventually give way to spays of red berries.

Wayfaring Tree, Viburnum lantana

Wild Cabbage, Brassica oleracea oleracea

All along the cliffs, sometimes clinging out of tiny crevices were plants of Wild Cabbage Brassica oleracea oleracea, a spindly declining species in Kent. It is currently thought that the species has been domesticated for thousands of years giving us the cultivars for cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale and cauliflower. Flowering alongside were the first of the years Bird's Foot Trefoil Lotus corniculata which will soon be carpeting the cliffs.










Apart from the floral interest, a Fox scaling the cliffs by the visitors centre, which then disturbed nesting Kestrels and a pair of Ravens with their recently fleged brood it was rather quiet fauna wise.