The rarest plants in Oxfordshire?

Situated in south Oxfordshire, just a mile from Goring is Hartslock, a small nature reserve managed by BBOWT. Here, not only does the chalk grassland hill provide excellent views of the Thames valley:
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It also provides the habitat for three of the rarest plants in Oxfordshire - the small monkey orchid (Orchis simian), so named as it's flowers form the shape of monkeys is found at this one site in Oxfordshire and at few in Kent and Yorkshire (although it is more common in Europe)
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Whilst there are several monkey orchids, this year there were only two lady orchids (Orchis purpurea)  - which may have been introduced to the site in the 19th century, as the plants share more DNA with those found in Europe then those found in the UK. 
Like the monkey orchid, it gets it's common name from the shape of it's flowers, they are said to resemble ladies - with a hat and a long dress.  Like the monkey orchid, it is found at a very few sites in the UK
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But what makes hartslock special is that it is the place in the UK where these two species of orchids have hybridised - producing a lady-monkey orchid (Orchis simia x purpurea) - producing an flowers with the hats of the lady orchid and a body similar to the monkey orchid:

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Like most hybrids, it is considerable taller than the two parent plants and whilst there are only two lady orchids in flower this year, there are several hybrids.  So maybe, over time, the hybrids will replace one of their parent plants.
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For more information on these fascinating plants, their location, when they flower and the rather sad history of the site, there is an excellent blog written by one of the reserve wardens http://hartslock.org.uk/blog/

More whale photos..

.. because you can't have too many pictures of these remarkable animals:

Views 3128 miles west of the Ock

Whilst central England has an amazing biodiversity, for some species it is best to travel further afield and the opportunity to visit Boston (Massachusetts, not Lincolnshire) provided the opportunity to do something I have always wanted to do - whale watching.

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Whilst it is possible to see cetaceans in British waters (bottle nosed dolphins in Cornwall have previously featured in this blog: http://viewsoftheock.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/views-of-atlantic.html)  to get better sightings it is necessary to join an organised whale watching trip, such as one to the Stellwagen Bank , 30 miles from Boston.
It is one 14 national marine sanctuaries in the US and several whales make the most of the abundance of food supplied by deep underwater currents being driven up the steep sides of the bank.

These include minke whales, one of the smallest whales (5 tons) they stay in the distance and unlike other whales are submerged most of the time and are spotted due to the distinctive spray from their blowhole.

As exciting as it is to see a minke, the real stars are the humpback whales, at 37 tons they are the third largest whale (after finback and the  blue whale) and unlike the minke they are not unafraid of coming close to the boat.

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And it is when they fluke (raising their tale out of the water as they go for a deeper dive) it seems like they are showing off and it certainly makes one want to burst into a spontaneous round of applause
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Whatever the reason for them doing it, it is certainly an unforgettable experience.
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If you happen to find yourself in Boston, then a whale watching trip is highly recommended:
http://www.bostonharborcruises.com/boston-whale-watch/

Although whales aren't seen on all trips, at least one came back disappointed, which makes seeing such remarkable animals so close a privilege.