Signs of Summer
It’s finally here again… British Summer Time! Enjoy all the amazing days out, walks and cycle rides in the stunning sun, longer days, and warmer weather. During this stunning season, you will spot some beautiful nature and wildlife that enjoy the sunny weather. We want to share with you some of the most recognisable and beautiful signs of summer.
Here are the top 5 signs of summer, from minibeast to flowers, summer is a stunning time of the year for so many reasons!
Butterflies – Tortoiseshells, red admirals, peacocks, commas, large whites – these are just some of the butterflies you may spot! Keep your eyes peeled as the days get hotter and you’re sure to spot something.
Bats- On summer evenings they are at their most active! Look for them just after sunset in woodlands, parks and large gardens. It’s difficult to identify different species without using special bat detectors which detect the sounds they make. Pipistrelles are the commonest small bat and brown long-eared the most widely distributed large bat.
Baby birds- Look on a local lake or river for ducklings, goslings and cygnets. These young birds have to find their own food but their parents stay close. You may even see young cygnets taking a rest by having a ride on their parent’s back. Great crested grebes also frequently carry their young in this way.
Poppies- June, July and August are when these bright red beauties flower. You will find common poppies in flower along road verges, field edges and even in towns and cities where building work has disturbed the soil. These flowers are unmistakable and never fail to warm the heart!
Bugs and beetles– Inspect hedges, grasses and bushes closely. You never know who you might find! From the bright green swollen-thighed beetle pictured here to the familiar ladybird – insects are bold, beautiful and great fun to spot.
Throughout this Summer let’s help protect Kent’s Bees and Pollinators by supporting the Kent Plan Bee action plan, a plan to take the lead and encourage local communities to improve the food sources and general habitat for pollinators in Kent! Follow them over on Facebook to keep up to date with the latest news!
Here are some other visible signs of summer that you’ll be able to see through June, July and August…
Trees full of leaves- The woodland canopy has closed over and trees are lovely and green right now. This makes it the ideal time to work on your leaf identification skills. Use our free tree ID app to help you identify the trees around you and learn more about them.
Summer flowers blooming- Spring flowers are fading fast and being replaced by summer blooms. Look out for foxgloves, poppies and common spotted orchids in woodland and along hedgerows. Honeysuckle also flowers in summer.
Fledglings learning to fly- At this time of year, baby birds are beginning to leave the nest. Many spend a few days on the ground before they’re ready to take flight – building their strength and waiting for their flight feathers to become fully grown.
If you see a baby bird on its own, it’s best to leave it alone – its parents are probably nearby.
To make the most of this beautiful season why not try out some of our walking and cycling routes to explore different areas of Kent and see how summer affects them, you can use our activity page which showcases all of our walking and cycling routes!
Or why not download the Kent Connected App to your smartphone and take us out and about with you, you are able to download and follow all of our walking and cycling routes all from your phone!
Make sure when exploring Kent’s countryside this summer, to respect, protect and enjoy it! Follow the countryside code and help protect our countryside code looking summery and beautiful!
We hope you enjoy spending time in the outdoors this summer as much we do! See how many signs of summer you can spot on your daily walk!
