It's the 1st July and the weather can only get better – surely? Look down on the ground at Dungeness though and you will spot an array of brightly coloured wildlife. Wildflowers are blooming with lots of different types and colours of vetch out in the fields, buttercups, Nottingham catchfly and dodder bathe the trails in summer colours. Viper’s bugloss, a favourite plant among many here, is starting to bloom in force, lighting up the edges of the track and the trail with a purple-blue colour and attracting a variety of different bees to its delicious nectar. Dragonflies and damselflies are everywhere at the moment with a few emperor dragonflies being spotted on the reserve.
Come down to the reserve tomorrow between 10am and 4pm and join us in our celebration of wildflower meadows and insects! There will be short guided walks looking at wildflowers, insects and other animals. In the visitor centre we will be doing lots of different arts and crafts. Don’t forget to treat yourself to our brand new Dungeness bee and flower souvenirs as a memento of the day. So pop in anytime tomorrow for FREE!
Bird sightings this week include: lots of hobbies dancing through the skies, swifts and swallows, Egyptian geese on Burrowes pit, peregrines, sparrowhawks, a merlin and red kite have all been spotted on the reserve this week.
A cattle egret has been around in the hay fields, barn owls are nesting on the reserve by Boulderwall, and cuckoos are seen and heard often which is lovely.
There have also been lots of waders seen about including, redshank and spotted redshank, ringed and grey plovers, black-tailed godwits, curlew and ruff.
There’s plenty to see on the reserve at this time of year, so come out and enjoy some fresh Dungeness air this weekend!