Summer

June – August

Summer brings an abundance of insects and flowers around the village.

Many butterflies can be seen, like Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshells, Painted Ladies, Red Admirals, Commas and Small Coppers.

Many hoverflies can be mistaken for bees, but once you know the difference you’ll realise that there are many different sorts of hoverfly, like Dronefly, Sunfly and Marmalade Hoverfly.

More damselflies appear at the pond as spring turns to summer, like Azure and Common Blue damselflies. And there are many insects getting to work to create the next generation, like hoverflies, Dock Beetles, Soldier Beetles, and Ladybirds.

Flowers like Honeysuckle make an appearance in early summer in hedgerows, verges and fields, along with Dog Roses, Ragged Robin, Welsh Poppies, Orange Hawkweed, and Foxgloves.

With the return of butterflies and moths come their caterpillars, voraciously munching on very specific plants that they need to grow.

As summer progresses, watch out for Horse Flies who can give a painful bite. Not to be confused with hoverflies who won’t do you any harm at all! If you have a patch of Ragwort (not in fields with horses of course!) you’ll probably see them teeming with hoverflies.

Other butterflies will also appear, like Ringlets, Meadow Browns and Skippers.

Among the tall grass near the pond in the summer you will likely hear the sound of grasshoppers chirping. They can be hard to spot, but if you look carefully you may be able to see them peering back at you!

More dragonflies appear near the pond as the summer continues. Common Darter dragonflies are (as the name suggests) common around the village, but you may also see Broad-bodied Chasers, Southern Hawkers, and Golden Ringed dragonflies.