Nature Notes: Summer
Jun
True to the saying, ‘If spring is a watercolour, then summer is an oil painting’, summer is a season of leaf-bound trees and painted meadows.
Towering oaks and elms spread ever skywards, basking in the long, hazy days, while shimmering white clouds of ox-eye daisy cloak flower-filled meadows, which resound to the lazy hum of bees busily gathering nectar.
Wayside ditches become decorated with the pale purple, heavily veined blooms of the common mallow, whilst in damp areas of woodland, a bright splash of colour is provided by the familiar red campion and the untidy, scentless flowers of the aptly named ragged robin. Field margins too are like a tapestry, clothed in the beauty and fragrance of the foamy, cream-coloured flowers of the meadowsweet, whilst refugees from cornfields, silken, scarlet-cloaked poppy flowers atop tall, slender stalks, line the roadsides of country lanes.
One summer flower of mystery and romance is the orchid. Spikes of the pink, purple and sometimes white common spotted variety dot grassland in a landscape dominated by the familiar yellow bird’s-foot trefoil and red clover. An altogether stranger and less common species is the bee orchid, which is sometimes seen in grassland. On close inspection, the unique flower really does appear to mimic the honey-producing insect.
On calm, warm summer days, woods, hedgerows and even suburban gardens are lit up by exquisitely painted butterflies. Common species include the beautifully coloured, eyed peacock, the striking scarlet and black red admiral, and the delicately decorated small tortoiseshell. In some summers, numbers of local species are supplemented by migrating painted lady butterflies, which arrive from the Mediterranean.
One of the handsomest of the hedgerow birds is the chaffinch, which is perhaps only outdone by its beautiful rosy-breasted cousin, the bullfinch. Another contender for the title of smartest bird is the somewhat secretive but distinguished nuthatch, which can be seen at this time of year scuttling up and down the trunks of trees. Its plumage is distinctive, with steel-blue upper parts, white throat, a rusty-coloured chest and belly, and a bold, dark eye-stripe. Seen perched on telegraph wires or skimming fields and lakes is the avian epitome of summer, the swallow.
On warm summer days, with just a whisper of wind, dragonflies and damselflies light up the air with their vivid colours and aerial acrobatics. The flight of dragonflies can be mesmerising as they establish their territories and chase off rivals. Their lightning speed and amazing manoeuvrability mean that almost all other flying insects are at risk of becoming a meal for these impressive aerial predators.
During the long summer nights, moths and night-flying insects are attracted to night-scented plants such as honeysuckle, with its almost luminous cream flowers. In the soft-scented twilight, the dark, mysterious forms of bats emerge to weave effortlessly in and out of silhouetted woodland trees.
Mid-season is truly a golden time, not just because of the seasonal citrus sunrises and amber sunsets but at every turn, the rich yellows and golds of the cornfields and wildflower meadows. Then too, almost as if on an unheard cue, most woodland birds fall silent. Of course, the likes of the song thrush or blackbird and perhaps the chiffchaff will continue to give voice, as will the collared dove with its three-note cooing, and the similar but five-note cooing wood pigeon.
However, for most birds, the trials of attracting a mate or declaring and maintaining a territory are no longer priorities. Instead, the search for food for a growing family and avoiding the attentions of predators are paramount.
In amongst the brambles and the great banks of nettles, which reflect a lime-green hue under sunlit summer skies, the undulating flight of the softly patterned orange and brown gatekeeper butterfly can be seen, often in profusion. Half concealed by hedgebank grasses are the pink blooms of herb robert and the purple-flowering common vetch, whilst in shady hedgerow corners, the spikes of glistening orange-red berries of the strange cuckoo pint provide a feast for Britain’s favourite bird, the robin.
The latter part of the season is a good time to see one of the jewels of the avian world, the exquisite kingfisher. Because young kingfishers that have fledged are searching for new territories, they become more visible, and a walk along a small river or stream may be rewarded by a flash of orange and electric blue.
At the waterside too, usually standing motionless, scanning the water for small fish and amphibians, is the heron. Britain’s tallest bird, the ‘grey ghost’, is a supremely accomplished fisherman, spearing its prey with its dagger-like yellow beak. In flight, the bird has a distinctive pose; with its head drawn back, its long legs trailing and its long, slow wingbeats, it somewhat resembles a prehistoric dinosaur.
Late in the season of plenty, five-petalled white blackberry flowers give promise of luscious fruit, whilst beech and sycamore trees start to display faint orange and yellow tints, presaging the autumn to come.
Words and photos by David Jones
