The Snook, Holy Island

The causeway joins Holy Island at the Snook, an area of dunes and slacks(damper, low lying areas within the dunes). We went to spot orchids and all the other beauties of creation to which we are becoming more attuned. We found several different varieties of orchids, and also discovered that many spots where orchids have grown in the past are bare. It isn’t clear whether this is because some of them bloom only every other year, whether they have been lost (dug up!), or simply that because this has been a dryer, warmer season, the orchids have already bloomed and died back.

This is either a common spotted orchid or a north marsh orchid -- they intermix, so it's hard to tell!

And this, I believe, is a Helleborine, but NOT a Lindisfarne Helleborine.



We were on the alert for the Lindisfarne helleborine which is rare and only grows on Holy Island. We found only a few, and they are not the best – but Graham held one so I could capture it with my camera and share it with you.



And as we were walking we were reflecting on creation all around us, offering prayers of thanks for the beauty that surrounded us, and joining with the Creator in declaring that it was very good indeed! (Or as one of my fellow sojourners said: it’s actually better than good, it’s downright marvelous!) And all growing wild in dunes and slacks!