Morgan’s Hill, 14 June 2026

Above: Green Hairstreak © Mike Williams

Leader: Mike Williams

A hunt for rare orchids and insects. This was a day that started off well and kept getting better, with perfect weather and a great turnout.

We assembled at the Smallgrain picnic area at 11. While waiting for a late arrival, we took a look at the grassland by the car park, and found Field Madder, Cinnabar Moth, Meadow Brown, and Brown Argus. Mike gave a short summary of the archaeological interest of the site – it being the point where Wansdyke merges with a Roman road, and that the hill was originally named Runway Hill, but became known as Morgan’s Hill after murderer John Morgan was hung there in 1720.

We headed straight up the hill along the conjoined Roman Road and Wansdyke, and took the Roman road at the junction to head straight to the quarry, along the way stopping to observe Garden Chafers, including a parasitised individual, and Spindle Ermine caterpillars. By the stile we saw several Large Skippers and Small Heaths. Traversing the meadow en route to the quarry, we passed Common Spotted and Pyramidal Orchids, and were greeted at the quarry entrance by three spikes of Fly Orchid still in flower, with several more that had gone to seed. For many, this was their first time seeing this rare and elusive orchid. 

A Green Hairstreak landed on the steep quarry side behind us, and several webs of Labyrinth Spider were present amongst the vegetation.

We then walked up to the central mound, where there were many Chalk Fragrants of several shades, from almost-white to dark pink, as well as Yellow-wort. Further along was a patch of Common Twayblades.

We found no sign of the Marsh Helleborines in their usual spot, but may have been a little too early in the year for them. We took lunch on the north side of the quarry, where a worn male Adonis Blue settled for a while, and Marbled White and Grizzled Skipper flew.

At the lunch spot was a range of typical chalk grassland flowers including Wild Thyme, Fairy Flax, Horseshoe Vetch and Chalk Milkwort.

After lunch, we divided into two. One group stayed to study the wildlife of the quarry, while the dedicated orchid hunters searched the grassland above the quarry for elusive Frog Orchids.

We first found a flowering Lesser Butterfly Orchid. After some 20 minutes, Mike finally found a budding Frog Orchid, but was shortly afterwards upstaged (twice!) by Helen O’Connell, who first found a patch of 11 flowering Frogs (which Glen termed ‘The Frog Chorus’), but also the find of the day – a pair of beautiful salmon-pink hybrids between Frog and Common Spotted (Dactylorhiza x mixtum)

Glen found several interesting moths around the quarry, including Four-dotted Footman, Rattle Pearl, Meadow Grass Veneer, and the caterpillar of Timothy Tortrix.

We wandered up to Wansdyke, on the way stopping to admire a pair of Common Forester Moths on a Small Scabious flower. The banks and ditch of Wansdyke had further Lesser Butterfly and Chalk Fragrant Orchids, patches of Spiny Restharrow, and several Grizzled Skippers. The orchid hunters pondered over whether several of the Common Spotted Orchids around this area were hybrids with Chalk Fragrant (as of yet we are not certain).

Young Sebastian, in charge of sweep-netting, caught a range of invertebrates, including Garden Chafer, Cinnamon Bug, Bumblebee Hoverfly, Striped Slender Robberfly, Cricket Bat Spider, Bishop’s Mitre shieldbug, and the bug Capsus ater.

We walked back within the ditch of Wansdyke, where we saw a pair of Large Skippers attempting to mate, a Grizzled Skipper, and a Brimstone.

With seven species of orchid, a rare hybrid, and plenty of insects under our belts, not a single attendee felt disappointed as we returned to the car park.

Mike Williams