Sauntering 203. Orchids and Bogbeans at Sunbiggin

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Saunterings: Walking in North-West England

Saunterings is a set of reflections based upon walks around the counties of Cumbria, Lancashire and North Yorkshire in North-West England (as defined in the Preamble). Here is a list of all Saunterings so far.
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203. Orchids and Bogbeans at Sunbiggin

Sunbiggin Tarn is not large – its surface area is only about five hectares – but it is the largest body of water for ten miles around. It therefore provides something of an oasis for wildlife – and for walkers and picnickers who can enjoy the fine panorama of the northern Howgill hills. The tarn lies, rather surprisingly, in a depression of boggy heath below limestone scars. The region is a Site of Special Scientific Interest primarily because the different soils support a rich variety of plant life not normally seen in close proximity.

Sunbiggin Tarn

We set off to sample this plant life, heading towards the tarn. Within a few yards, we’d seen a number of orchids (and by the end of the walk we’d seen hundreds). Now, you’d probably appreciate some precision: what species of orchid?

Left: One of the many orchids; Right: The early purple orchid.

When I started trying to write about my wanders in the countryside I soon realised that my background in physics and computing had left me with large gaps in my knowledge of nature, ecology and the environment. Where should I begin, in plugging those gaps? The plant world seemed the best bet. Plants don’t move a lot, they don’t hide away from our sight, and they don’t prefer to slink about at night. On the contrary, they flaunt their floweriness in broad daylight (admittedly for the insects, not us) and they have the courtesy to stand still while we study them. So, when, fifteen years ago, I saw an orchid (in fact, the one shown above right) in the Sunbiggin region I wondered if I could identify which species it was.

Nowadays we can aim an app at it and it will tell us. But where’s the fun in that? Anyway, I had no such app then and set about my orchid investigation. I looked forward to learning all about sepals, stamens, stigmas, stipules and suchlike. Then I found that there are about 25,000 species of orchid (there are about 5,000 species of mammal). If, for eight hours a day, I spent five minutes comparing my orchid with each of those to find the best match it would take me about nine months. And if I was to be serious about it I’d need to learn 25,000 Latin names. So I opted out and since it was early in the year and the orchid was clearly purple I called it an early purple orchid. This happens to be the name of a species of orchid but maybe not the name of this one. I only remember one thing from my aborted investigation – which is that the name orchid comes from the Greek for testicle (a fact well worth knowing).

Some Sunbiggin wild flowers for you to have a go at

We wandered on to walk alongside Tarn Sike, which meanders sluggishly across the moor, either into or out of (it was hard to tell) Cow Dub, next to Sunbiggin Tarn. Among the multitude of wildflowers we were looking for a particular species. Years ago while walking here I had photographed a pretty plant (shown below left) with delicate white flowers, with hairy fringes, with pink or purple buds. After hours of study I concluded that this flower was a bogbean, although I was disconcerted by the fact that my flower clearly had six petals when all the pictures I found of bogbean showed five petals. What chance have I got when flowers can disregard what it says in the books? But then I remembered those childhood hunts for four-leaved clovers. Presumably it doesn’t matter much to a plant whether it has five or six petals. About 1 in 1,000 people are born with six fingers - and some consider it an advantage.

Chuffed with my bogbean I had said to Ruth that I’d look out for it on our walks together and if I saw one I’d point it out. But I had never seen one since. So we tried to re-find one on Sunbiggin Moor. We found a few plants that could have been bogbeans but they no longer had flowers and the leaves looked like most leaves to novices such as us. We were just about to give up our search when we came across a whole patch of bogbeans by the sike just north of the road. Some of the bogbeans were still in flower.

Left: The first bogbean; Right: One of today's bogbeans.

Mission accomplished we now set out for a short triangular walk around the limestone scars of Little Kinmond. The track we took west is on the Coast-to-Coast route and we did see a few walkers – but none with the purposeful air of a coast-to-coaster. Along the track we saw a notice from the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority saying "Please don't use lane or adjacent fields if you get caught short". I’ve not seen such a notice before. Is the Authority going to put up such notices everywhere? Or does this track particularly provoke caught-short-ness? Are those coast-to-coasters midway between Shap and Kirkby Stephen guilty? Must they hold on for another four hours?

We walked through the hamlet of Sunbiggin and then up across fields, one with the grass cut, one with high grass and buttercups, one with high grass but no buttercups. Does the farmer feed one field to grow buttercups but not the other? Why?

A distant view of the Howgills, with Wild Boar Fell to the left

On the way we enjoyed distant views of the Howgills and to the left of the Mallerstang hills and Wild Boar Fell and, once at the top, of Cross Fell and other Pennine hills – but we had chosen to walk when it was cloudy, to avoid the heat of the June sun, and the view was somewhat gloomy. Around the limestone terraces we found more wild flowers, no doubt of different species to those seen on the boggy moor – but we were a little flowered-out by now. We did, however, see one intriguing flower (shown below right), which from its shape should be a pyramidal orchid. But I read that pyramidal orchids are usually bright pinky-purple and that white versions are rare. Knowing the name of a wild flower doesn't help us appreciate it but knowing its properties, such as its rarity, might.

Two orchids on the limestone scars

We headed back down to Sunbiggin Moor – led astray by some bikers who’d taken the wrong path – and were a little surprised not to have a reassuring view of Sunbiggin Tarn ahead until we were almost upon it. By now the promised sun was emerging.

Sunbiggin Tarn

    Date: June 19th 2024
    Start: NY675078, by Sunbiggin Tarn  (Map: OL19)
    Route: S past Cow Dub, W, N over Tarn Moor – Dales High Way track – NW – Stone Head – W – Sunbiggin – NE – Dales High Way track – SE, S – Sunbiggin Tarn
    Distance: 5 miles;   Ascent: 130 metres

The two following items:
     205.   Where is Subberthwaite Common?
     204.   In the Dock at Glasson
The two preceding items:
     202.   Pausing at Garstang
     201.   An Erratic Saunter from Austwick
Two nearby items:
     144.   Fencing The Clouds
       31.   Pink Stones on the Orton Fells
A list of all items so far:
               Saunterings

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Top photo: Rainbow over Kisdon in Swaledale; Bottom photo: Ullswater