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|  | Seasonal News by Endymion Beer of Naturama.
Summer ... |
| Last year we encountered a wet spring and summer which I believe accounted for a dearth in Lepidoptera. Some say moths have suffered more than butterflies. Besides habitat loss, heavy wet spells can mean that caterpillars are washed away along with other insects and this means birds have a hard time finding the all necessary insect supplies that ensure the correct plumage growth in young birds. Give the wrong diet to young birds during the breeding season and their feathers will lack the vibrancy of their species, and may even show signs of albinism. Females choose males for their strong plumage colours so a dull looking male of any species is unlikely to be chosen as a mate.
Maintaining wild habitat is important but we also need to ensure that the right foodplants are growing for butterflies and moths on which to lay their eggs. Don’t forget, trees and shrubs may also be used by some species, as well as wild flora. Lepidoptera needs a wide variety of plant-life to accommodate so large a range of species. It is about research and careful management.
I recently had the great pleasure of meeting Professor Alastair Fitter in London. He was talking about climate change and how whilst many plants are blossoming earlier than before, some are coming out later. This of course affects the creatures that rely on those plant species. The orange tip butterfly, for example, likes to lay its eggs on Jack-by-the-hedge and is on the wing when this plant is in flower but, if the plant is out too early or too late the butterfly will miss its opportunity. Nature is a fine balance! We still do not know all there is to know about climate change. This is why it is important to send in records of natural history observations such as when you saw a particular species first in flower, the last time it was in flower, how many bird species nest in you garden - general observations. Although there is now a national database, the British Naturalists Association (over 100 years old) is asking for records so that they can monitor climate change. Their website is www.bna-naturalists.org.
The answer lies in the soil is an old saying but it is true as everything starts there. Without soil there would be nothing. Your bit of garden, a green lane, a roadside verge where blackbirds can pull up wiggly worms, no matter how small the habitat, it will be home to something and we need to see that these last relics are not spoilt. |  |
| Whitethroats are calling now from their favourite stand of white poplar trees by a disused railway line where swallows and swifts chase insects beneath a setting sun. I love an evening walk. Last evening I observed the sand on the mudflats blowing across the water in great swirls and I thought of Egypt and deserts until the lot stung me in the face as I forgot to look away, so taken was I with the golden evening light playing over the water. Few birds were on the wing in such a wind but I could hear the melody of a blackbird as it tucked itself away in the dense hedge. Many birds live here such as linnets, sparrows, green and goldfinches a variety of tit species and others. Birds and other wildlife are now in the throes of the breeding season and become elusive, more guarded as they struggle for the protection and survival of their families.
Four pairs of blackbirds, a pair of blue tits and a baby robin are regular visitors to our garden along with a ring-billed gull, herring gull, crows and others. Our sparrows and chaffinches have gone off to breed while other small birds prefer to be heard rather than seen in order to protect the location of their nest sites. Along our back roads, lots of trees came tumbling down across the roads and elsewhere during the stormy May weather. I couldn’t help but wonder if any nests were lost. |  |
| On a positive note, we have holly blue butterflies breeding in the garden. They use holly as their foodplant in spring and ivy during the late summer into autumn. Eggs laid during springtime on holly will emerge as butterflies in July; this is the first generation or brood. The second brood emerge from eggs laid during August on ivy flowers and can be distinguished from the first brood in that females have a wider band of black on the wings. Holly blue butterflies can be seen on the wing from as early as late March and into October. In the absence of holly or ivy, the flowers of gorse, spindle and dogwood may be used, though holly and ivy are by far the preferred species. The Holly Blue is a charming butterfly and one of my favourite species. It always amazes me how such tiny wings can out-wit so many hungry beaks and however some of the Vanessa species manage to migrate 100’s of 1000’s of miles is beyond me. Certainly Britain’s population of Red Admirals depends on the annual influxes of migrants from the continent, though it can be seen all over the British Isles from about May time. Perhaps Nature is telling us she is not as delicate as we think even though a little bit of help from time to time wouldn’t go amiss thank you very much.
Finally, please remember to keep your feeding stations clean for birds and other garden wildlife. Please also provide fresh water for your furred, spiked and feathered friends but if the water bowl is deep or you have ponds remember to provide a stick/ramp for creatures that may fall in, to scrabble out on. Many people forget that with regard to ponds, if dragonflies have laid their eggs eventually the nymphs will want to crawl out to metamorphose. Plants stems of aquatic plants growing in the pond or a nice stick are therefore important.
Have a happy summer!
Pictures © Trevor Beer |
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