What to look out for in July
Our borders are lush and humming
with insects, our ponds are low but empty of amphibians except for frogs cooling down on hot days, and our trees are rustling with the sound of a thousand leaves. And yet, the nights are beginning to draw in, and lifecycles are being completed.
Large bumblebees are a nod to next spring – these are daughter queens from established nests that have recently mated. They’ll spend the next few weeks fattening up before entering hibernation, storing the male’s sperm for when they need to fertilise their eggs and start a new nest of their own.
Elsewhere, some species are just getting started.
You may spot…
Common shrew, Sorex araneus The common shrew is a small mammal with a velvety brown coat that’s paler on the underside, a long snout, small eyes and ears and – if you get close enough to see them – reddish teeth. It’s typically found in rural habitats – hedgerows, meadows and woodland – but is also in gardens and allotments.
Unlike mice, shrews are not rodents but insectivores – they are related to moles and hedgehogs. They eat insects, spiders, snails, slugs and small worms. Fiercely territorial, they often spend their whole lives in ‘home ranges’ of up to around 500m2. They’re solitary except during breeding season (May to September). Nests are made in dense vegetation or below ground. Females have up to four litters of around six young.
Shrews are sometimes seen in a ‘caravan’ where the young cling on to the tail of the shrew in front, lead by the mother. But you’re more likely to see dead shrews on the ground. They’re often abandoned by predators as they release an unpleasant liquid from their skin.
Also be onthe lookout for…
Grasshoppers, the males of which rub their hind legs against their wings to chirp for the females.
Baby hedgehogs making their first foray out of the nest, at dusk. Leave dog or cat food (never mealworms), plus a dish of water for them.
Bats flitting about in search of insect prey, on still evenings. Buy a bat detector to see if you can find out which species are visiting?
And don’t miss...
This year’s Big Butterfly Count runs from 16 July to 8 August. Go to
Unlike mice, shrews are not rodents but insectivores – they are related to moles and hedgehogs