August in the Valley

What you can expect to see...

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 Park, 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. You are more likely to see damselflies mating, because they tend to pair longer than dragonflies. 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. Seen above are two Red Damselflies mating.

Insects are also a food source for the many bats in the Valley and dusk on a calm August evening is a good time to go bat watching. The best spots are woodland clearings and lakeside edges such as Rowhill, Lakeside Park and Horseshoe Lake as well as Hawley Meadow.

A hot, dry August might be good for your summer holidays but surprisingly it is bad news for many insects. Butterflies that are active in August, like the Common Blue, Small Tortoiseshell and Meadow Brown, rely on a rich nectar source from flowers. In drought conditions this nectar dries up and the butterflies suffer. Cold, wet conditions are just as bad. Following the rain and cooler weather we’ve experienced over the past two months butterflies could be in for a bad time!

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 the Gatekeeper our Butterfly of the Month and Small Skippers. Long uncut grass, brambles, nettles and wildflowers that are often considered weeds are essential for these butterflies and in the Valley Hollybush Park in particular is managed especially to encourage butterflies and other insects.

Many of the male waterfowl will moult their colourful breeding feathers, so for a few weeks at this time of year they will be flightless and look very dull.

Berries have already started to ripen on Rowan trees and  Elder and Guelder Rose bushes attracting birds such as Thrushes and Blackbird. At this time of year some of the migrant warblers move from insect-based diets to energy rich fruit before heading south.

Things to do ...

For details of events taking place this month visit the August events calendar.              

  Bird of Month
   Kestrel  >>>

   Butterfly of Month
   Gatekeeper

   August sightings >>>

  August events  >>>

Did you know?  

The cultivated Fuller’s teasel was used in the textile trade? The spines on the
ends of the bracts curve back to form small hooks and these
are used to raise the nap in the manufacture of fabrics such as velvet and cashmere.

The Teasel found growing along the Valley is the
 common form and can be found in rough pastures and copses and by roadsides. Growing tall and upright with many branches covered in spiny prickles it’s very easy
to spot. At this time of year the dense prickly flowerheads surrounded by curved spiny bracts will be in flower,
bearing tiny pink or white flower. In winter Teasels are often more noticeable, particularly along the roadsides, standing tall and brown. Their seed heads are favoured by Goldfinches.

 There are many descriptive folk names for Teasel, such
as ‘brush and comb’ and ‘Johnny-prick-the-finger’.
The botanical name Dipsacus derives from the Greek word ‘to thirst’ and refers to the way rainwater collects in the cup-like structures found around the stem by the leaf bases. Insects sometimes get trapped here and drown and their bodies get broken down by bacteria. It’s possible that the plant derives some benefit from the nutrients released. The Roman names for teasel labrum veneris or lavacrum veneris, Venus’s lips and Venus’s basin, probably refer to these cups.

Teasel was not much used by herbalists but water collected in the stems was considered beneficial and an ointment produced from the roots was used to cure warts.