What's Happening in August?

For us, August can mean the school holidays, a break from routine and with luck some sunny weather to enjoy the natural world. There is plenty to see this month but also there are telltale signs that nature is responding to decreasing day length and preparing for autumn.

All too swiftly the swifts are departing

Swifts, which arrived in early May, have bred and will be heading for Africa in early August. If you have birds nesting locally, enjoy their aerobatics as family parties scream overhead and between the houses. Recently I watched ~ 35 feeding on insects high over a lake and saw a hobby make low-angled dives on half-closed wings, presumably hoping to pick off an unwary juvenile before they leave us.

A mixed bunch...

Have you wondered what has happened to the family parties of blue tits and great tits in your garden and the local woods? Inevitably, some will have succumbed to bad weather, insufficient food and sparrowhawks feeding their young. However, when you see a flock of small birds, observe them closely. You may find blue, great and coal tits, together with nuthatches, tree creepers, goldcrests and chiffchaffs all feeding together in a loose flock in an attempt to evade predators.

The Dragons are hunting!

In contrast, you may get excellent views of one small predator this month. The southern hawker is a large dragonfly, predominantly green and black. The males are territorial, very inquisitive and frequently approach you at close-quarters before apparently escorting you off their patch. Two smaller dragonflies, the ubiquitous common darter and the more specialised ruddy darter also appear in larger numbers in August.

Butterflies galore

If you have a Buddleia bush in your garden, you should be able to attract painted lady, peacock, red admiral and other butterflies this month. In grassy areas with birds-foot trefoil the second brood of the common blue is emerging here in Dorset, whereas from Yorkshire northwards the climate only allows one brood to emerge each year. On favoured areas of our chalk grassland you may be rewarded with the sight of second brood Adonis blue butterflies, surely one of our most beautiful species.

Late summer plants & flowers to spot

By the River:

Although many flowers are past their best by late summer, a riverside walk always repays the effort with varied splashes of colour from great willowherb, yellow loosestrife, meadowsweet and purple loosestrife on the riverbank, in addition to plants at the water's edge such as water forget-me-not, and watercress plus submerged water crowfoot and starwort.

By the Coast:

Similarly, a coastal walk can introduce you to the bright yellows of golden samphire on the cliffs, the yellow-horned poppy on shingle beaches and if you are really lucky, the pink and white striped flowers of sea-bindweed in sand dunes.

Grassland:

Over much of Dorset, in nutrient-poor grassland, devil's-bit scabious comes into flower this month. The dark blue flowers on long stems attract hoverflies and other insects which, in turn, make them attractive locations for crab spiders to sit and wait.

Always expect the unexpected!

And finally, a walk in the Dorset countryside is never predictable - always expect the unexpected! As an example, whilst writing this article I took a walk round Winfrith Heath and on a roadside verge I saw what I took to be a dead mouse.

It was a warm brown colour, had small ears for a mouse but a very long, and somewhat damaged tail. Then it moved and I also noticed that there were some ears of wheat nearby. It then dawned on me that I was seeing my first harvest mouse in the wild.

How it came to be on a roadside verge was unclear but I encouraged it to crawl over the wheat, took a few photos and then released it into the nearby undergrowth.

Written by John Wright
Dorset Wildlife Trust Member & Volunteer

Blue Tit on birdfeeder by Jane Adams

Southern Hawker Dragonfly by Jane Adams

Adonis Blue Butterfly

Devilsbit Scabious & Crab Spider

Harvest Mouse

Photographs by John Wright
unless otherwise stated