Logan Walker from the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) explains what wildlife to look out for near you in June.
Summer evenings
One of the greatest joys of any summer has to be watching tiny baby frogs emerging from a pond and hopping onto dry land for the first time. Tadpoles generally start developing legs in May, when they shift from a vegetarian to a carnivorous diet to get vital extra protein.
By June, the earliest tadpoles will have completely metamorphosed, and warm wet nights are a great time to head to a pond with a torch and look for emerging froglets and toadlets. If you don’t have a pond nearby, our CS Lewis Nature Reserve in Oxford is the perfect place to spot them.
While you’re searching, keep a look out for stag beetles flying around on warm evenings. These are one of our largest beetles and are named after the males’ fearsome jaws, which are said to resemble the antlers of a stag, and – just like the deer – they will use them to fight off male rivals.
The adults are short-lived (no more than a couple of months), but their larvae spend several years hidden underground where they feed on rotting wood. Look for them in woodland edges, in hedgerows, parks and gardens.
Meadow marvels
Meadow brown butterflies are very common and widespread. They can be confused with the similar-looking gatekeeper butterflies, but those have two white dots on their wings instead of one and tend to rest with their wings open.
Their caterpillars feed on grasses, so why not allow an area of your garden to grow long to create your own meadow? You may even find some wild flowers appear among the grasses, particularly if you scatter some yellow rattle seed which helps to slow the growth of grasses and gives more room for flowers.
One particular wild flower you may encounter is the bird’s-foot-trefoil. With its yolk-coloured petals and crimson buds, it's not hard to see how it has earned its breakfast-based nickname: eggs-and-bacon. Another of its evocative names is 'granny's toenails', which gives an instant impression of the claw-like seed pod!
You’re less likely to see one of these in your garden, but the beautiful barn owl, with its pure white feathers and heart-shaped face, is perhaps our most-loved owl which can be spotted hovering over meadows. Females usually lay clutches of about four eggs in April or May and they start hatching a month later. The middle of June is a great time to look for the new parents hunting in the daytime for mice to feed their voracious chicks – look out at our Chimney Meadows reserve in West Oxfordshire.
Nocturnal nature
Nightjars migrate to the UK every year from sub-Saharan Africa to breed. They’re here from May to September and the best time to see – or more likely hear – them is now.
The birds are most active at dusk, when they catch flying insects in mid-air. The male nightjars call for mates by churring loudly from the tops of trees. We’re holding several nightjar walks in West Berkshire throughout June and July, book on at bbowt.org.uk/events and come along for a chance to hear these special birds!
The famous glow worm is actually a type of beetle, and it is the wingless females that glow: they cling to grass stalks on warm summer nights and produce a greenish light from their abdomens. The winged males fly around searching for these emerald invitations.
We are very lucky to have a population at Whitecross Green Wood a few miles north of Oxford – well worth a night out! They’ve also been spotted at several of our reserves in recent years, including Chinnor Hill near Aylesbury and Padworth Common near Reading.
For more information on where to see wildlife near you and how to help nature on your patch, visit the Trust’s website: bbowt.org.uk.
