Your wildlife month
As the year turns, insects gather on late flowers
such as echinacea, ivy and Verbena bonariensis. Frogs, toads and newts move to their overwintering grounds, burying themselves beneath logs and stones or into the earth. Summer migrants such as swallows and house martins return to Africa while winter migrants like redwings and fieldfares are on their way here. As green turns to brown, now’s the time to start your autumn tidy-up. But spare a thought for wildlife, as insects seek shelter in seedheads, and birds look for nuts and berries. Hedgehogs may be found at the bottom of an unlit bonfire, so create habitats for them by piling up your garden waste and disposing of it in spring instead.
You may spot…
Common darter dragonfly, (Sympetrum striolatum)
Our most common darter species, males are red with yellow-striped legs, and females are yellow-green, ageing to a dull brown-red. They’re found in habitats such as woodland rides, canals and ponds. You might spot them basking in the sun to warm up in the morning – unlike other dragonfly species, they will bask on or near the ground. They may take advantage of a dragonfly perch placed near your pond, as they dart to catch insects then return to their perch to eat them. Adults eat flying insects such as midges and mosquitoes, while the aquatic larvae feast on other aquatic species, including water fleas, snails and tadpoles.
When mating, the male and female form a ‘mating wheel’, where the male clasps the female by her neck and she brings her abdomen to his body to fertilise her eggs. She then lays her eggs in a jelly-like substance among submerged pond plants. Eggs laid in summer hatch within a couple of weeks, while those laid later in the year will hatch the following spring. They emerge a year later, from June to October, breaking out of their final nymphal case as adult dragonflies.
Also look out for…
Ivy bees, the last solitary bees of the year to emerge. They nest in large aggregations in sandy soil. Common carder bumblebees. These gingery bees are often faded and balding at this time of year.
Garden (orb) spiders. The females erect huge cobwebs between shrubs and across paths.