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Although most flowers are appearing later than usual and some migrant birds are slow to reach our shores this year, spring really has arrived, so make sure you enjoy this very special time when every week brings an abundance of new sights and sounds!
Watch out for orchids
If you can get to the coast between Durlston and Winspit, try looking for the logo of the Dorset Wildlife Trust, the early spider orchid, in the first week or two of the month. Dorset is a stronghold for this special plant which favours short limestone turf.
Taller and more widespread in Dorset is the early purple orchid which frequents old woods, calcareous grassland, hedgebanks and verges. This year it will be in flower for much of May and when seen alongside cowslips on grassland is a truly magnificent sight.
Another orchid which appears in mid-May is the green-winged orchid. This declining species prefers neutral grassland but fortunately it can be seen in spectacular numbers and in various colours at our own DWT reserve at Corfe Mullen.
Take a walk in a wood
Now is the time to take a walk in an old deciduous wood where thousands of bluebell bulbs produce a stunning carpet of colour before the tree canopy closes. In damper woodland, often on steep slopes, look for ramsons or wild garlic. The smell is unmistakable but the fresh green leaves and splashes of white also make for a memorable sight. Many other woodland flowers are at their best in May so search alongside paths and woodland edges for further treats.
Busy butterflies
Early flowering crucifers, including the cuckoo flower found in damp meadows and honesty which grows in gardens and nearby hedgerows are the food plants of the orange tip butterfly.
Also starting to appear are other white butterflies including the green-veined white and the small white which favour wild crucifers and the less popular large white whose caterpillars damage brassica crops in both gardens and fields.
Damsels and dragons
Dorset is famous for the number of damsel and dragonflies breeding in the county. The first damselfly to appear is the large red damselfly, a delicate insect with weak flight which holds its wings along the length of the abdomen when resting. Look for it by garden ponds, along streams and by lakes and canals.
An early dragonfly to emerge is the four-spot chaser, particularly abundant at heathland ponds but also found at many other still water sites. These robust, highly manoeuvrable and aggressively territorial insects are always fun to watch and come to rest with their wings held out.
More and more summer migrants
And what of the summer migrant birds? From my inland location in Purbeck, an increasing variety appear each week, including the cuckoo, heard at three different locations over the last few days as I write this article in late April.
Do try to visit coastal, wetland, scrub, heathland and woodland locations in May if you want to see and hear our summer visitors as they prepare for breeding. Some of them, including sandwich terns, sedge warblers, common whitethroats, tree pipits and willow warblers are relatively easy to see and you can then start to associate each species with its call and song.
One spectacular bird I always watch for is the hobby, a summer visitor from central Africa. In May, this small but impressive falcon can be seen hunting swallows, martins and dragonflies, and in the evening large moths, over wetlands, heaths and farmland. In June they become less easy to spot as nesting gets underway, but in late August and in September they start to train their young in aerial acrobatics before migrating south again with the swallows and martins, their equivalent of a mobile packed lunch!
Take some time to deer watch
And finally, a few days ago I saw a pair of roe deer. They were still in their winter coats, which appeared excessively bulky as they prepared to shed them to reveal their smart reddish brown summer coats. The buck had antlers, but they were still growing and covered in velvet. Clearly, the long winter has slowed their annual cycle of events.
Roe deer are very common in Dorset and an early morning or late evening walk through the countryside will often reveal a roe deer feeding by a hedgeline or quietly observing you with eyes and ears trained on your progress as it remains motionless but ready to flee.
Written by John Wright
Dorset Wildlife Trust Member & Volunteer
Ever wondered about the Wild Carrott? Here's another article you might be interested in reading. Find out more about the Wild Carrott
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