This was the last of my Suffolk Walking Festival walks, at Sizewell Belts Nature Reserve. Here is the route...
The omens were there for what to expect with the floods in the roads on the way, and, as we started the walk, it was raining. Here are our guides, Dayne West & Jamie Smith (who's birthday it was today, suitably attired for the wet.. and wearing wellingtons. We should have been warned!
There were some nice rhododendrons in the woods, but these are garden escapees rather than being native.
We found lots of Marsh Orchids
And a Little Marsh Butterfly
These Irises were particularly splendid.
But what we had really come to see was the pristine water meadows... "The wildflower meadows, which are maintained by cattle and sheep grazing, include four species of orchid, yellow rattle, ragged-robin, bogbean and lady’s smock.", say the Suffolk Wildlife Trust site.
Unfortunately, every time we stopped to have what we could see explained, we had to keep moving our feet to avoid sinking into the marsh. It was very squelchy, and tested the waterproof nature of my boots to their limit... and beyond.
Never mind. There was plenty to enjoy. Here is a mass of ragged robin....
...and another orchid with visitor...
We also found some lovely moth caterpillars...
So thanks to Dayne and Jamie for the higly instructional and entertaining walk.
You can find more details of the route in my Map My Walk log and more of my photos of it on Flickr
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