August 2025
We are now in high summer. We have had the longest day (21st June), and now the days are getting shorter by several minutes each day. However, the high sun is heating the UK planet surface a little more day by day. This includes the waters of the sea around our islands warming the breezes that pervade the air we breathe. The outcome is that we enjoy a warm August before the September dews and dark evenings cool things down. Our swifts will have reproduced in our church and house rooves and returned to Africa by the end of August.
I have been delighted to see many six spot burnet moths (Zygaena filipendulae) emerging from their pupal cases in our garden this summer. They are also gracing our roadside verges that have been designated as wildflower verges by the council and are replete with birds-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), black knapweed (Centaurea nigra), ox-eye daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare), meadow buttercups (Ranunculus acris), self-heal (Prunella vulgaris) and many more meadow flowers and grasses. The Six-spot Burnet moth is a distinctive, brightly coloured, day-flying moth with a wingspan of 30-40mm. Its most recognizable feature is the dark metallic green/black forewings, each adorned with six bright red spots. These spots can sometimes merge or be yellow or even black, and the hind wings are red with a blackish fringe. The moth is aposematic, meaning its bright colours warn predators that it is poisonous. However, it is no danger to humans unless we try to eat it. It also has a similar rarer cousin called the five-spot burnet moth (Zygaena trifolii). Their yellow and black larvae feed on the leaves of bird’s-foot trefoil. Both species overwinter as caterpillars (larvae).
In our quest to halt climate change and species loss, I was struck by an initiative on the news recently when one person said that ideally, we should all be able to see 3 trees from our house windows. It follows that each tree is a vertical habitat supporting a complex food chain and provides ecosystem services. Each leaf is a solar panel absorbing CO2 and producing O2 while keeping the C (carbon) to build its body. Insects and other organisms eat the leaves, but the tree keeps producing new ones through the summer. Birds and other animals eat the insects and use the trees to reproduce in. The animals defaecate and eventually die generating a fertile soil below to feed the tree with additional nutrients. The tree also produces fruit and seeds to feed the animals including us. What a dynamic process! However, we must be careful to keep the trees as safe structures. Always at least 7 metres from the house, and occasionally pruned or pollarded to be safe in strong winds. They will also serve the purpose of helping to provide a cool shade and a tranquil habitat for quiet times in the garden. Providing extra food and water baths for the birds is also a good idea.