August in the Valley

What you can expect to see...

We experienced one of the wettest summers on record last year, but so far this year things have been ‘normal’, well as normal as an English summer can be. So it will be interesting to see what August has in store for us.

A hot dry August might
 be good for your holidays, but surprisingly it’s bad news for many insects. Butterflies that are active in August, like the Common Blue (pictured left), Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Meadow Brown,
rely on a rich nectar source
from flowers, but in drought conditions the nectar dries up and as a consequence the butterflies suffer.

Certain plants are favoured
by butterflies. The garden
Buddleia is well known for
attracting nectaring butterflies. Of our native wildflowers the Yellow Fleabane is a great favourite of Gatekeepers and Small Skippers. These and many more butterflies should
be common, but over the years their numbers have dropped drastically through our obsession with neatness. Long uncut grass, brambles, nettles and wild flowers that are often considered weeds are essential for their survival. Hollybush Park is managed especially to encourage butterflies and other insects and is a good place to go to find many different species.

Dusk on a calm August evening is the time to watch for bats. The best spots are woodland clearings and lakeside edges, of which there are many in the Valley. Rowhill and Lakeside Nature Reserves are good places to go. To get a close view throw a pebble a few feet above your head a few times. A bat will come to investigate and it is often so close you think you can reach out and touch it.   

This month sees the mass emergence of the many insects which predatory dragonflies and damselflies feed on. Watch out for them at all the freshwater sites in the Valley like Tongham Pool and Lakeside Nature Reserve,
as well as along the River Blackwater itself at sites like Hawley Meadow and Shepherd Meadows. As well as feeding sites they are also breeding grounds and you may see territorial males driving rivals away from their ‘patch’, which can often lead to spectacular ‘dog’ fights over the water. Look out too for mating damselflies. They adopt a ‘wheel’ position where the male grips the female behind the head with his abdomen tip while her body forms a full circle, making contact with the base of his abdomen where the sperm is stored.

   Bird of Month
   Kingfisher >>>

   Butterfly of Month
   Green-veined White >>>

   August sightings >>>

   August events  >>>
 

   New arrivals >>>

   Riddle answers >>>

Did you know...

Look out for Mountain Ash Sorbus aucuparia –
seen along the road line in particular – which this month will be weighed down with ripening berries.

Botanically related to the Whitebeam and Wild Service Tree, it is so-called because the leaves bear a close resemblance to those of the Ash. In Scotland it’s called Rowan from the Gaelic rudha-an, the red one, referring to its berries.

At this time of year the scarlet berries provide a feeding bonanza for many birds, Blackbirds and
Thrushes in particular.

Though attractive to birds, the berries are too sour for humans to eat raw, but if cooked with sugar they can make a tasty jelly for
venison and game.

The dark red-brown heartwood of the tree is very tough and was once used widely for tool handles and small turned or carved objects.