With summer fully underway the fields, hedgerows
and gardens are abundant with wildlife and flowers. Sea life can be spotted off the coast and damselflies
with their irridescent wings dive in and around ponds and rivers.
'a swarm of bees in May
is worth a load of hay,
a swarm of bees in June is worth a silver spoon,
a
swarm of bees in July is not worth a fly'
Download our bee picture to use as
a monthly desktop calendar. (click on the orange link and then right click on the picture and select
'set as background'.)
© NTPL
/ Paul Harris
Wildlife to look out for
The British Isles has six native reptiles: the adders, grass snake, smooth snake,
common lizard, sand lizard and slow worm. As the temperature of summer increases it brings these shy
animals out into the sun.
North West: Bickerton Heath (adders)
South
East: Frensham Commons , Danbury & Lingwood Commons (adders)
Glow worms are a species of beetle and the larva are able to emit a green glow.
There are two species in the UK, the common glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca) and the much rarer lesser
glow-worm (Phosphaenus hemipterus).
Wessex: Tyntesfield, Kingston
Lacy, Woodchester Park
East Midlands: Ilam
Park, Dovedale
South East: Box
Hill
North West: Arnside Knott
Thames
& Solent: Pulpit Wood
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© NTPL
/ Joe Cornish
Birds
There are several species of Tern in the UK, in the summer months young chicks hatch
in colonies all around the coast. In the evening if you happen to be on Lundy Island, you can hear the
racket of young Manx-shearwaters. Coastal heaths also support a wide variety of coastal birds such as
the Dartford warbler and Nightjar, heard particularly well at dusk.
Yorkshire and the NE:Northumberland coast (little and arctic
tern)
Wessex: Brownsea
Northern
Ireland: Strangford Lough
East of England: Orford
Ness, North Norfolk Coast, Blakeney Point, Stiffkey (sandwich, common &
little tern colonies), Morston
Devon and Cornwall: Lundy
Island
Cuckoos will be leaving the UK from July, returning to Africa for a warmer winter.
Their offspring, having been raised by another species of bird, are able to migrate later in the summer
as they are born with a natural homing instinct.
Chattering swallows and house martins, and screaming swifts can be seen performing
aerial acrobatics, hunting for insects in flight. Starlings and house sparrows may join them as clouds
of insects gain in number. The number of swifts is falling dramatically; their major threat is the destruction
/ renovation of buildings that are their nest sites. Please think swift friendly if carrying out work
on buildings or get a swift nest box to add to your home.
Bats
Look out for bats on the wing from dusk until dawn. Keen ears may pick out their
sonar as chirps and clicks, this is how they hunt for their prey in the dark. They emit ultra-sonic
sound waves from their mouth or nose, if these waves bounce back from an airborne insect the bat focuses
in and hunts it down. Some properties have special guided bat walks:
North West: Borrowdale, Lyme
Park
Yorkshire & North East: Hardcastle Crags,
Malham Tarn Estate, Wallington
East
Midlands: Ilam Park, Kedleston Hall, Longshaw
Estate, Lyveden New Bield
West Midlands: Croft
Castle,
Wessex: Dunster Castle, Fyne
Court, Holnicote Estate, Tyntesfield, Woodchester
Park
Thames & Solent: Ashridge Estate,
Mottisfont Abbey Garden, House & Estate
East of
England: Hatfield Forest, Ickworth Park, Sheringham
Park, Wimpole Hall
Devon & Cornwall: Killerton,
Pentireglaze, Saltram
South East: Frensham Little
Pond, Holmwood Common, Knole, Scotney Castle,
Sissinghurst Castle, Slindon Estate, Winkworth Arboretum
Northern
Ireland: Crom Estate, Minnowburn, Strangford Lough
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© National Trust
Flowers
Roses are at their best at this time of year. See sensational displays at the following
properties:
Gloucestershire: Hidcote
West
Sussex: Nymans Garden
Surrey: Polesden
Lacey
Wales: Powis Castle and Garden
Kent:
Sissinghurst Castle Garden
Northern Ireland:
Florence Court
Sea life
Look out at the coast for porpoise, whales, dolphins, and basking sharks.
Yorkshire and NE: Farne Islands
Devon
and Cornwall: Lundy Island / coastal properties
Wessex:
Studland (look for shark egg cases), Purbeck
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©
NTPL / Ian West
Grassland
Summer brings out the best in grasslands; plants are in full flower attracting a
wide range of insects and birds. Look out for beatles and grasshoppers amongst other insects. If you
are lucky you may see Britain’s largest mammal the red dear. Giant Puffballs can be found in most grasslands,
large ball-shaped fungi.
Grassland can be found all over the country, here are some examples:
Devon and Cornwall: Lizard properties, Lundy,
Branscombe, Arlington, Dunsland Park, Hembury
East
Midlands: High Peak, Dovedale, Longshaw,
Hardwick Park, Crom Estate
East of England: Dunstable
Downs, Sharpenhoe Clappers
Northern Ireland:
Giant's Causeway, White Park Bay, Rathlin Island,
Portstewart Strand, Barmouth
North West: Arnside-Silverdale,
Formby, Brotherswater
©
NTPL / Paul Hobson
Butterflies
Summer brings out even more butterflies! Look out for Purple Hairstreak butterflies,
Purple Emperor in woodlands, Dark Green Fritillaries and Marbled Whites on downland, White Admiral and
Sliver-Washed Fritillary.
Wessex:
White Admiral butterfly (Golden Cap, Studland) Dark-Green Fritillary (Rodborough
Common, Melbury Down and Beacon, Ballard Down)
Wales:
Marbled White butterfly (Gower coast & commons)
North
West: High Brown Fritillary (Arnside Knott)
Devon and Cornwall:
High Brown Fritillary (Heddon Valley), Sliver-Washed Fritillary (Ditts and Heddon Valley and Watersmeet)
South
East: White Admiral, Purple Emperor (Bookham Commons)
Thames
and Solent: White Admiral (Mottisfont Woods, Ashclyst Forest)
Dark-Green Fritillary (Compton and Afton Downs – Isle of Wight)
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