Summertime

 

 The temperatures are rising with a forecast of +26C degrees today. However the cool breeze, which seems to have persisted for months now, continues to take the edge off the temperature. I am a little surprised, tramping through the forest, at the almost complete lack of butterflies and bees. Even insects are few and far between, only the occasional small brown butterfly shows itself. Normally the forest bursts into life when things warm up. I can only put this down to the long cold, wet, spring, which must have affected the larva, pupa and many caterpillars. It is a great shame are there are vast meadows of colourful wildflowers. A fine looking ants nest that survived the heavy downpours, which can often damage them or even wash them away.

I check out the tadpole’s puddle and they are free and willing to swim if provoked. However much of the water has gone and in a few days the puddle will be dry as no rain is predicted. A few days ago I rescued some, which are now thriving in a bucket and once they have reached adulthood I will release them back into the wild. Those in the bucket are definitely larger and more lively than those in the puddle.

Among the many young pine trees there are quite a few dead established trees, which does not give the forest a very healthy appearance. It may just be natural selection but many believe the cause is pollution (acid rain) and also the invasive bark beetle.