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Knapweed Broomrape 1st for Leicestershire! Cheers to Mark Skevington  http://skevsblog.blogspot.com/  for finding these plants at Narborough Bog last week. Although these Broomrapes do occur at a few sites in Rutland, this is a MEGA plant for Leicestershire (1st record?). Knapweed Broomrape

I haven't updated for a few days due to the fact I've been on nights with the day job! Any way before my nights I nipped over the border to Warwickshire to photo the Marsh Helleborines at Ladywalk NR and in the previous days I surveyed a few road side verges in Rutland. The highlights included finding some more Pyramidal Orchids, good numbers of Knapweed Broomrapes and hopefully a couple of road side verges to be added as road side nature reserve due to the rich limestone flora!

Over the weekend I took part in the mini bio-blitz at Ketton Quarry LRWT with the Pork Pie posse, Skev, the Llama and Adrian Russell. Flora highlights I saw on and around the reserve included up to thirty Bee Orchids ,and good numbers of Common Spotted Orchids and Common Twayblade . Just before getting to Ketton I also checked out the road verges near South Luffenham and found 289 Pyramidal Orchids spikes, a couple of Common Spotted Orchids and two Knapweed Broomrape spikes.