Nature Fact

Bees communicate with each other in lots of different ways including "dancing". Honey Bees returning to the hive use a dance to tell other Bees where to find nectar. They may visit up to 1,000 flowers in one day

Events

On 29th July, George Dunkling led a Nature Walk in bright and sunny weather which 8 people attended. The following specie were observed:- 13 Birds, 2 Amphibians, 8 Butterfly, 6 Insects, 1 each of Dragonfly and Damselfly, with 35 observed and identified wild flowers

Nature Watch

A quiet month with fewer sightings of wildlife.

A very small number of Silver Studded Blue Butterflies were recorded, also a low number of Dragonfly and Damselfly, for the period. However, a good number of Grasshoppers and Crickets were seen in all locations on site. Only one Marsh Gentian plant has been found to date and two Common Helleborine (Orchid). Due to the wet weather there has been a sharp decrease in recording of the Common Lizard which are normally very evident this time of year.

The earlier search for Autumn food by the birds has been noted, taking Blackberries, Rowan and Holly berries, all of which have developed ahead of time.

Rainfall for the period approx 65 millimetres

Nature Fact

In the Summer months, a Jay may be observed seated amidst an ant's nest to encourage ants onto the feathers. This is called 'anting' which is believed to help remove unwanted parasites from their feathers. Jays feed on acorns and bury up to 3,000 a month to supply food for the following Winter. They sometimes forget about them, so the acorns grow into trees