Wildlife diary: Summer 2009

Like walkers on the trails, summer is a boom period for wildlife. In June, the foxgloves will be flowering everywhere, but especially on poorer soils. On grasslands, orchids of many types will be coming into bloom, so be careful where you walk. Honeysuckle and elder will be flowering in the hedgerows, and all of these plants will attract more and more insects. This is ideal for swallows, swifts and house martins during daylight and bats at dusk, all of whom will be feeding young. At the coast, the cliff tops will be bright with ox-eye daisy flowers and the sound of sea birds feeding young in their nests. In July, sand dunes will be abundant with flowering plants. Fields of corn will be maturing, providing homes for mice and rabbits. Verges and hedgerows will be full of nettles and blooming buddleia, attracting butterflies and other insects. The first of the summer visiting birds, like the cuckoo, will also be departing, and our resident birds will be quieter, making it easier to hear the likes of the song thrush and — if you’re lucky — the skylark. August is great for coastal walks, with rock pools alive with anemones, crabs, fish and shrimps. If you are on heath land, look for reptiles warming themselves on rocks. Birds will be enjoying the blackberries and elderberries, and waders will be returning to estuaries to feed before migrating. On country verges, lords and ladies will be showing bright red in the strong sunshine, and on the moors you could also find the first of this season’s bilberries. Phil Pickin