Night time was very hot and uncomfortable. And I had some Wildlife get in cause the windows were open for a long time
Today most of the invertrevretes I didn’t usually get in the garden disappeared and the Forest bugs were gone. but the Spiders caught a lot of Invertrevretes today. It was very humid but windy so the shade was back to feeling cooll again but you couldn’t stand in the sun cause it was too hot. I had lots of Thirsty Ants line up for a drink today aswell I only saw one butterfly in the garden but the Bumblebees wernt as lethargic in that they didn’t take a 15 minute rest and were very busy. I saw 4 Bumblebees in the garden. And a tit came looking for food. And visited 2 or 3 times. But for food not water. The grass completely dried up. Flowers and leafs dried up and my pond water went down in only 2 days. But at 4:45 it drizzled and you could smell it and it cooled things down abit. Flying ants were takeing there wings off in the afternoon and some had already done it, it was a cloudy evening with some drizzle but the sun Came out.
Today
https://youtube.com/shorts/OcIrigU6rlc?feature=share
Droplets from the drizzle
I love those sun beam photos toward the end of your post, they are spectacular.
Though I haven't been out the last few days, heat being probably joint top reason along with my leg, viewing from the kitchen window down our garden, I have a clear view of the lavender, which normally would be very busy with bees. However, even the bees, like the birds, were keeping out of the sun, with unshaded temps close on 45ºC!
Usually the bird bath would be busy with birds drinking and bathing, but that has been quiet, and the water has been kept topped up and fresh, as the birds are keeping out the heat, and just coming out for necessary hydration.
Mike
Flickr: Peak Rambler
samsw said:Oh some lovely photos there... especially the 'sunbeam' ones.
"Petrichor"
That's not a term I've heard for a very long time....
Thanks. Im not surprised it hit over 40 degrees celceus I don’t know about anywhere else but interestingly this heatwave was record breaking cause this is the first time the UK has ever hit 40. Im not surprised the bees wanted to keep out of the heat And the birds aswell. Active Flying Bumblebees have to have there flight muscles abouve 30 degrees celceus. and 35 to 40 degrees celceus is more usual. Bumblebees regulate there temperature differantly to humans aswell. bumblebees can struggle in really hot weather. Birds and other Willdlife can struggle in hot weather aswell Exspeacially if its over 30 or 40 degrees celceus which even they arnt used to either over here it wasn’t as hot as London or Birmingham cause it didn’t reach 40 but it did reach 36 degrees celceus
Yes thats what it’s called. The rain was so strong I could smell it from the kitchen and the hallway. It came from 2 reasearchers at a science agency in a article for a journal Nature a very very long time ago in there research Rocks that had been exposed to warm, dry conditions were steam distilled to reveal a yellow covered oil that had become trapped in the rocks and soil it was discovered the substance was responsible for the smell. The source of the oil is a combination of oils secreted by plants during dry weather which signals to halt root growth and seed germination and chemicals released by soil dwelling bacteria. Sometimes you can smell rain before it even rains aswell. When a higher humidity is exspearianced as a precursor to rain the pores of rocks and soil become trapped with moisture forceing some of the oils to be released into the air. Interestingly with rain the strongest smell is released when the rain arives. raindrops landing on dusty or clay soils trap tiny air bubbles on the surface which shoot upwards like a glass of Champaign and burst out of the drip throwing aerosols of scent into the air which is distributed by the wind.
Look how the heatwave impacted the UK landscape