News from Newport


Did you know you can see five species of orchid at Newport Wetlands?

They are: Southern Marsh (Dactylorhiza praetermissa), Common Spotted (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), Pyramidal (Anacamptis pyramidalis), Marsh Helleborine (Epipactis palustris) and the tiny, stunning Bee orchid (Ophrys apifera).

They make quite a display, attracting lots of insects. The wetlands is also a treasure for so many other forms of wildlife. Check out the website for sightings and some fantastic photographs. I especially love the shot of the bearded tits on a branch.

To see what’s in store, check out the list of recent sightings from the visitor sightings board that anyone can contribute to. Bird fans should be impressed:

Avocet, bearded tit, black headed gull, blackbird, blackcap, bullfinch, buzzard, canada goose, carrion crow, cetti's warbler, chaffinch, chiffchaff, common crane, coot, cormorant, cuckoo, curlew, gadwall, goldfinch, great crested grebe, great spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker, greenfinch, greenshank, grey heron, house martin, kestrel, lapwing, lesser whitethroat, linnet, little egret, little grebe, magpie, mallard, marsh harrier, moorhen, mute swan, oystercatcher, peregrine, pied wagtail, pochard, raven, redshank, reed bunting, reed warbler, ringed plover, sedge warbler, shelduck, shoveler, skylark, stock dove, swallow, teal, tufted duck, whitethroat, woodpigeon, wren.

If you’re into butterflies, moths, dragonflies et cetera, these have been spotted:


Five-spot narrow bordered burnet moth, bee orchid, black tailed skimmer, broad bodied chaser, cinnabar moth, drinker caterpillar, emperor dragonfly, four spotted chaser, large skipper, marbled white, marsh helleborine, meadow brown, pyramidal orchid, red darter, ringlet butterfly, small tortoiseshell, southern marsh orchid, speckled wood, stickleback. Captions: bee orchid and southern marsh orchid.

To visit, check out the website.

Captions: bee orchid and southern marsh orchid.

Comments