The National Trust’s website page of Rodborough Common butterfly walk says that “the steep grassland slopes of Rodborough Common offer superb butterflying, walking and views over the Severn Estuary … look out for more than 30 varieties of butterfly, including rare species like the Duke of Burgundy and Adonis blue, that come here each summer to feed and breed on an amazing variety of wildflowers.”

Well we managed to see “an amazing variety of wildflowers”  but only saw one species of butterfly (large white) and rather a lot of sky larks. Perhaps the warm, breezy conditions did not suit the butterflies.

The views here and at Minchinhampton Common (where I played golf the following day and saw many Adonis blue butterflies) are truly amazing.

Early purple orchid

Polygala

Green alkanet

Common Vetch

Germander speedwell

Cowslip

Speedwell

Red clover

Meadow buttercups and cow parsley

Cow parsley

Common hawthorn still at its best

The Scots Pines were very abundant on the slopes adjacent to the Common

Common rock-rose

Skylarks everywhere

 

Click below for gallery of photos from this morning’s stroll on Rodborough Common: