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Now that Springwatch is a distant memory, summer really is here! Throughout Dorset, there are plenty of opportunities to be inspired, surprised and fascinated by our native plants and animals as you take a leisurely walk or enjoy a picnic.
Out On the Heath
If you are fortunate enough to live in the Poole Basin, July is the ideal time to enjoy our internationally famous heathlands - including Upton Heath. Purple bell heather and yellow dwarf furze are truly stunning in the dry areas and contrast with the waving white flags of cottongrass and numerous yellow spikes of bog asphodel in the wet areas.
Characteristic heathland birds such as linnets, stonechats, yellowhammers, dartford warblers and woodlarks all have two and sometimes three broods each summer and become more numerous as the season progresses.
Buzzards & Woodpeckers
Wherever you live, try listening and looking for two of our larger birds. Buzzards are common in Dorset and this month you may hear the insistent 'mewing' of a young buzzard as it pleads for food, despite having flown the nest.
This is also the time to see green woodpeckers, including the juveniles, as they search for ants in parkland and along woodland edges. Identify them by their green plumage, yellow rump, undulating flight and shrill call.
Grasshoppers & Crickets
Whereas some birdsong is now less obvious, the 'songs' of grasshoppers and bush-crickets are more noticeable in the grass. Dorset and, in particular, the Isle of Purbeck boasts a very wide range of species. Undoubtedly, the most impressive is the great green bush-cricket at almost 5cm in length!
Watch out for Butterflies
Meanwhile, meadows and woodland rides offer a wider range of butterflies than in previous months. Marbled whites and gatekeeper butterflies may be found in rough grassland, whereas a walk on heathland may disturb a grayling on the path ahead of you or reveal a colony of silver-studded blue butterflies in the heather. Perhaps the most striking woodland butterfly in July is the silver-washed fritillary which feeds on bramble and seems to be doing well at present.
Dragonflies
All these butterflies have one generation each year but the larvae of the golden-ringed dragonfly spend three, four or even five years developing in small stony and silty streams before emerging and showing off their splendid colours. These large hawkers fly low over streams and ditches but range widely and can also be found on heathland and rough commons with nearby streams.
Get to Know Your Thistles!
Various species of thistles catch the eye as summer progresses. In addition to creeping, spear and marsh thistles we have meadow thistles in wet grassland, musk thistle on calcareous grassland and also dwarf thistle - the one you first notice when you sit down! The painted lady butterflies which invaded England in late May use thistles as foodplants and with a life cycle that can be completed in a month, look for an increase in their numbers in July.
Goodbye to the Adult Cuckoos
And finally, the limited responsibilities of adult cuckoos are now over, and in July they will be heading across Europe towards Italy and later on to Africa. In contrast, juvenile cuckoos will still be dependant on their foster parents, before feeding up on hairy caterpillars and then making their own way south in August.
Written by John Wright
Dorset Wildlife Trust Member & Volunteer |
