Heatwaves, Orchids and Bats on the TPT

As we emerge from another summer heatwave on the TPT in Longdendale here’s a few thoughts.

Southern Marsh | Dr Janet Lees

Longdendale is usually a variable place weather-wise:  hot and sunny for a bit, wet and rainy quite a lot. Maybe we’d prefer a bit of consistency and so might the plants and animals. Wet and humid is ideal for orchids but I’ve not seen that many, so keep your eyes open. The common spotted orchids are usually reasonably common but are small, and range in colour from whitish to pink-ish to magenta-ish, by which I mean they could be almost any colour. Southern Marsh orchids may also appear. I found one in Torside Car Park. They are more likely to be magenta in colour.

Higher up, there is a small patch of Northern Marsh orchids near Windle Edge. The Trail is on the edge of the two populations here: Southern Marsh (not all that south) and Northern Marsh (only a bit north). What’s worse is both are magenta. We also found a small group of Bee orchids on the way to Broadbottom, by the Etherow in the rain. Telling one orchid from another is one of the wild life puzzles of the summer on the TPT. Getting drenched doing it is a whole other adventure.

Red Campion | Dr Janet Lees

You will see lots of other flowering plants on the TPT, in pink, yellow, white and blue. Red Campion and White Campion can both be found, as can quite a few different members of the Cranesbill Family. The smallest of these are pink like Herb Robert (a stinker) and Shinning Cranesbill. More flamboyant Cranesbills are available like Bloody Cranesbill; the amusing name of which, entertains teenage boys on geography field trips.

Climate change can effect plants, animals and humans. We get stressed by hot spells and so do plants and other animals. A wilting Common Twayblade at Torside is the only one I know on the TPT. I keep an eye on it in the shady spot it has chosen. Moss can dry out and whilst it can regenerate when rain comes back it may have been scrapped away by humans or others creatures by then and so a layer can be lost to the landscape making life difficult for other creatures that enjoyed its protection, like pseudoscorpions. Also called false scorpions, these small invertebrates love leaf litter. A friend of mine saw one in Wild Boar Clough but I’m still looking.

Common Twayblade | Dr Janet Lees

The main thing to remember is please guard against wildfire. We had one on Tintwistle Moor last week and it’s just devastating to see it. Please don’t take disposable BBQ s out with you and avoid other litter and behaviour that can cause fires.

Although heat wave nights might not be much cooler than the daytime, some night time activities can be rewarding.  My neighbour spotted a bat in our garden near the TPT in Longdendale so I now have a bat detector. I think it’s likely to be a pipistelle as I saw one near Bottoms reservoir in 2020. It’s great fun trying to tune into them and I plan to take my bat detector out on an evening bat walk on the TPT soon.

Moth traps are also a night time activity and I’ve a number of mothy friends. The best moth I saw on the TPT is the Herald moth, a lovely bronze coloured one of medium size. But as there are more British moths than butterflies you should be able to find a few. Some are very, very small, called micro-moths and there are some that fly in the day time so the moth action is not all after dark. You can look moth traps up on line to either buy one or make your own.

Make the most of midsummer, day and night, for spotting wildlife on the TPT as it will be over too soon.

Dr Janet Lees
3rd July, 2026