Commonly spotted at Benthall

We weren’t sure there would be many in bloom yet – but already there are hundreds, both in the scrubby woodland where they’ve been prolific for a few years, and in the beautiful buttercup meadows nearby. The orchids are our last objective this afternoon – much of our wandering has been in the pleasantly cool and shady woods along Benthall Edge.
We stopped at the usual chocolate seat in the woods, overlooking the old Patten’s Rock quarry and Ironbridge. I took the photo (below) but didn’t notice the deer (centre bottom – little more than a speck) until I studied the photo on the computer screen…