Lots of trees, shrubs and flowers are absolutely parched (and in some cases over well before their usual time), so it’s well worth looking out for those that are still in flower. Some of them are swarming with life at the moment.
Ragwort is a hardy plant and its flowers are providing rich feeding grounds for all sorts of bees, beetles, hoverflies and insects. I know where a large area of this yellow flower grows, so I headed off there last week hoping I’d find plenty of insects drawn in to those bright yellow flowerheads. Grassland butterflies were in abundance with a high count of lovely little brown argus, small heaths, common blues and even a migrant painted lady that had perhaps come from as far away as Morocco. The year’s first wasp spider had a grasshopper wrapped up in its web too, so it was all happening on this little patch of ground.
Migrant painted ladies are arriving from Morocco (Grahame Madge rspb-images.com)
Speaking of grasshoppers, the next few weeks are a brilliant time for hearing, and seeing them, and crickets. The “buzz” of Roesel’s bush-crickets is a very common sound in grassy places and head out in the evening, once it’s cooled down, to listen for the “chirp” of dark bush-crickets in hedges and bushes.
There's a good range of grasshoppers and crickets around now - this is a mottled grasshopper taken at the Lodge (Jodie Randall rspb-images.com)
Lavender is also doing a great job for bees. If you’re anywhere in the vicinity of RSPB The Lodge, pop in to the shop because the lavender borders outside are covered in bumblebees and cuckoo bumblebees at the moment. I’ve seen at least eight species there and the number of individuals, and the buzz, is amazing. If only everywhere had as many bees!
There are lots of great beetles around now. This tanner beetle was on the wall of a building here at The Lodge (image c Mark Ward)
Despite the weather still being very much geared towards insect-watching, birds are returning on their migration already. I dusted down my telescope last night to check out my local patch of Grafham Water where a good few yellow-legged gulls had assembled. The “weeeeeet-weet-weet” calls of common sandpipers sounded out and two were enjoying the shoreline exposed by the lack of rain in the last month. A couple of Caspian gulls among the masses made for a good “birdy” interlude to all my butterfly watching this month.
With the lack of rain, muddy edges are cropping up all over the place, so keep an eye out for passage waders which are arriving in greater numbers by the day. Scan reedy edges for water rails and you might even get lucky with a spotted crake.
For more tips to help wildlife, please see Anna's blog with loads of tips for planting a butterfly garden and Nature's Home also has plenty of advice on what's about now