Country diary: Scanning for treasure on a chalky hill | Oliver Southall

South Downs, West Sussex: Now is the time for the last orchid of the season - autumn lady's tresses. Or, it should be"Nature loves to hide", or so proclaimed the riddling ancient philosopher Heraclitus. These past few weeks, I've been on the lookout for the last of the season's orchids - Spiranthes spiralis, or autumn lady's tresses - and I'm starting to see what he meant.Today I'm crouched near the top of Wolstonbury Hill, eyes peeled. The place is certainly teeming: scabious and hawkbit dance with the dried-out grasses; bees hum and linnets chatter on a hawthorn. The orchids that I'm seeking grow from long-lived tubers, and I saw a handful in this precise location last summer, so I know they're here. So far, though, no sign. Continue reading...