Summer:

Oddly cleansing in the heat haze, gritty pondwater seeps into my gloves and down my sleeves. With each tug another tangle of blanketweed rises from the tannin depths, the resulting glade graced by the odd leopard-skin “thankyou” of a smooth newt.

Deposited on the rocky bank, I comb each net carefully, picking the armored freshwater clams and ramshorns. The air hung with the nostalgic aroma of pondwater. A stuttering, vibrant creature eyeballs me. “Grey” wagtail always seems cruel, their lantern yellow bellies rival anything in the tropics. No-one knows why they wag their tails though. Perhaps a foraging technique? Absent during cold times, they embark on jerky feeding forays here in summer.

Over the field, swifts hawk at breakneck speed, one adult catching up to 10,000 insects a day. Bustling with children currently, Green woodpeckers inject the air with their yaffling calls in the early morning, pumping their beaks up-and-down to fish for leatherjackets.

Unceremoniously stuffed into the birdboxes, the sparrow nests grow heavy with chicks. During the school’s fair in late June, the picturesque scene of flower-laden benches and stalls was backed by their fledging. Balding, dirty heads scowled out at the world hesitantly, before one youngster drives itself out.

With late summer brings the promise of quirkier migrants. Watercolor powerhouses, clouded yellow and painted lady butterflies plough over the English Channel en-masse in summer. Weighing the same as two frozen peas, they arrive at a buffet of daisy-doused fields, and rich tower-blocks of chicory and foxglove.  

The orchard is transformed to a Mediterranean paradise. Ripening apples and pears steward the wildflower melee below. A miniature rainforest of exploding knapweeds, wild carrot orbs and giant, oxeye daisies, proxy fig and kapok Trees. 

It won’t be long now until the meteorological tweak tips them back into autumn.

Harry Munt (Wicor Garden Volunteer and Wildlife Conservationist) 

Harry volunteers at Wicor Primary School helping manage the grounds for wildlife. Harry started his own House Sparrow project in building nest boxes. Harry is a trainee ecologist and has a passion for nature conservation. He is also a Wilder Communications Champion. 

Find out more about our Wilder Communications Champion