Summer sunsets to warm your evenings
Spot bats in the lighter evenings
Among other summer wildlife, bats come out during the longer evenings – the extra hours at dusk could be the perfect time for you to spot bats that live locally. Tom Clarke, Land, Outdoors & Nature Engagement Officer at Purbeck Estate, has some tips for spotting them in your garden or when you're out and about.
'Bats are everywhere. Look out for them at dusk when the sky is clear. You'll see them in gardens and parks – hedgerows are great places to spot these nocturnal creatures. Either lie on your back on a blanket, or go for a slow walk, checking the gradually darkening sky for movement. If you have kids, let them lead you – they have much younger eyesight and are usually much better at finding bats in the gloaming than you are.'
Top bat tip: make your own bat detector. Pick a long stem of plantain or grass that has a seed head and wobble it above your head. Bats will come and investigate thinking that the seeds are insects to eat.
Dawns and sunsets for armchair viewing

National Trust Podcast episode 79: Midsummer magic and mayhem
For millennia, midsummer has been steeped in tales of mystery and magic. It inspired the construction of great temples, the lighting of bonfires and was even said to have caused people to act in strange and surprising ways. In this episode, we explore the meaning behind the legends of the summer solstice. And we discover why so many people feel a mystical connection to this time of year.
Nature's palette – what makes the sky go red?
The phenomenon that results in red skies at sunrise and sunset is called scattering.
When the sun is low on the horizon the light travels through more of the atmosphere towards us than it does during the rest of the day. Because of the nature of the molecules, more of the shortwave blue wavelengths are scattered aside than other wavelengths in the colour spectrum, and the light appears red or orange to us.
The same effect occurs whenever light takes a long path through the atmosphere before it reaches our eyes. For example, if a layer of cloud extends almost to the horizon, the distant strip of sky that remains visible just below it will frequently look orange or red.
Curious about the weather? Check out How to Read the Weather by Storm Dunlop on our online shop.