Writing the notes for August has been quite a challenge. What does one find to say about an August that has been virtually without sunshine?

At the beginning of the month the Swifts left early, and who can blame them? It is almost unbelievable that they will remain in flight, without touching down anywhere during their wintering over Africa, until they return to their nest sites in 10 months time. When I was first told this I simply could not believe it, but from enquiries I found that it is true. They live in the air!

At the end of the month Don Shore noted lots of Flying Ants. These are the winged males and females of the little black ants that live under our paving stones. They mate, the males die and the females try to establish new colonies, but most of them end up as food for birds or spiders.

Clusters of Buff Tipped Moth Caterpillars have been spotted in the village- they are gregarious and often strip the leaves off Birch trees.  In our garden there has been a notable shortage of butterflies . People who record them on nature reserves are reporting a very poor year.

But the Carder Bumblebees are still busy. These brown bumblebees nest above ground, often in tussocks of grass, where the workers "card" together moss to make a nest. They sometimes make their nests in the moss of planters and hanging baskets. Their colonies are slow to get started in the spring, but by August they have become the commonest bumblebee in gardens. They demonstrate how well some bumblebees have adapted to our garden plants.

In our garden their favourite is Fuchsia, an exotic garden plant if ever there was one, which they would never encounter otherwise in our countryside. But from morning till night, and even in the rain, they are always there, climbing up inside the flowers. They are the only bee visiting, apart from an occasional honey-bee, and they are not collecting pollen. The nectaries of the Fuchsia must go on producing nectar all day, and be ideally suited to the mouthparts and the tongue length of the Carder Bumblebee.

Wildlife News

2008 sees some
changes to
the style of the
Wildlife pages.

 Now retitled
Wildlife News
it will focus on
the current month,
which will make it
more user friendly
for those wanting
a printed version.
As each new News
is published,
the previous one
will be transferred to
Wildlife 2008.

We are grateful
to Neil Robinson
who produces the
Wildlife News for Natland.info.

Thanks also to
Judith & Neil Robinson
for their photographs.

If you click on the
photos in the reports, normally an
enlarged picture
will open in
a new page.

What's in your garden or hedgerow?
would be delighted to hear from you.

Wildlife Archive
Last month's Wildlife News can be see at Wildlife 2008
Follow the links to see Neil's earlier articles
Wildlife 2008, Wildlife 2007, Wildlife 2006 and Wildlife 2005
or to see Neil's articles on the Flora of Natland and the Vegetation of Helm Common.

Wildlife Archive
Follow the links to see the earlier articles:
Wildlife 2008
Wildlife 2007
Wildlife 2006
Wildlife 2005

or to see Neil's articles on the Flora of Natland
and the Vegetation of
Helm Common. 

Natland Village Green

Post Office and General Store

The Church on the Green