The sky is blue, the butterflies are flying, and the flowers are bursting up all over the country. Summer is here in full force. The warmth, sunshine, rain and humidity of the past few months have been spectacular for flowers – garden and wild varieties alike – and with the flowers have come the pollinators. Bees and butterflies have been out in abundance, bright coloured moths and dragonflies are zipping over the salt marsh, and ducklings are popping out of every patch of reed up and down the canals.
We have spent the summer months surveying butterflies, checking nest boxes/baskets and taking part in the Wildlife Trusts #30DaysWild. We took on 30 days wild as a challenge to see if we could post about something “wild” every day of June. This took the form of flowers, raindrops, bees, butterflies, trees, caterpillars, fungi, and the odd bird. We loved sharing what we found and felt more in touch with nature than ever – finding that a little time out of our day to look for the little things that remind us how special nature is, was rewarding and humbling. If you haven’t seen our posts definitely check them out on our Twitter, Instagram or Facebook!
Our butterfly surveys have continued apace. Progressing through the weeks has meant we have seen a different set of species almost every time we have been on site. The various species emerging at different times over the summer has meant we have seen a beautiful range of creatures on the wing. Since May we have seen, Small White, Painted Lady, Common Blue, Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Small Copper and Red Admiral, as well as the Cinnabar and Burnet day flying moths. We are hoping to add a few more species to our list before the season is done.
So far, the summer has been a beautiful reminder of how bright and colourful nature can be, we are loving the warm weather and can’t wait for a few more months of sunshine. We have lots of interesting plans and projects coming up, and we are really excited to share what we’ll be getting up to. Stay tuned and watch this space!