July 2026

The long balmy days of July are upon us, and populations of natural organisms are at their most dynamic. We had a “heat dome” in June with record temperatures across Britain and Europe. In England, there is now a natural abundance and activity with new flowers, insects and fledged birds. Also, plenty of predation and animals avoiding being prey. There are reports of nestling bird mortality, possibly caused by the extreme June heat. July temperatures in England are usually high, frosts unlikely. The sea temperature around our coasts is increasing and humans are thinking of, or having, a summer holiday. This is a great month for nature watching! Look out for the striking day flying five-spot burnet moth (Zygaena trifolii) or six-spot burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae). The yellow and black caterpillars of these moths like to eat a plant called bird’s foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), also known as eggs and bacon. The adult moths are black with red spots and will be mating and laying new eggs on their food plants. Both forms of these moths and their caterpillars are toxic if eaten, but they are honest about it, having evolved bright colours to advertise that fact. Predators such as birds also know that. Most brightly coloured insects are toxic if eaten, for this reason. They do not want to be eaten so the ones that are both toxic and brightly coloured tend to survive. Predators soon learn this because they see other animals ill or dying that have eaten a conspicuous toxic insect, or else have tried eating them and got ill, survived, and learned the lesson. However, flowers have done the opposite. Those that are brightly coloured actively attract insects to their nutritious nectar by being colourful. Consequently, the fed insects get a dusting with pollen when taking the nectar, just as the plant intends. Consequently, the insects will pollinate the next flower of that plant species that they visit. This facilitates fertilization of the seeds which are eventually shed from the plant, creating the next generation.

Bright coloration or conspicuousness in nature is known as an honest signal to help with survival. For example, brightly coloured male birds such as the bullfinch with its bright pink breast is telling the dull coloured female that it is strong enough to defend itself even though it is conspicuous. Hence colour can be an honest signal of strength because the bird has survived. The black and brown female is cryptic so that a predator cannot easily see her nesting. Dull or camouflaged animals and plants are described as cryptic. They are trying to avoid being detected. Brightly coloured, conspicuous plants and animals always have a survival reason for being so. Likewise, male crickets and grasshoppers are conspicuously noisy, informing females of their location, but if a predator approaches a noisy male cricket – he will stop stridulating and hide because he is also cryptically camouflaged and has good hearing and sight. This is also a problem for scientists to find and observe them. For this reason, many very interesting things occur in nature that most people do not see.