Nature Notes, Summer 2019

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This warm summer has seen an abundance of butterflies in the gardens, especially in the orchard meadow, the Provost’s garden meadow and on the buddleja in the herbaceous border. The photograph above is just a snapshot of some of them from the orchard. In June, the Red Admiral and Painted Lady first appeared but it was in July that the number of different butterflies really arrived: Marbled White (which was seen for the first time in college, spotted in the Provost garden meadow), Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Comma, Small Copper and Small Skipper.

With regards to our feathered friends, the swans have been looking after their two cygnets well and they have remained on the lake throughout the summer. On another note, a family of Nuthatch has been seen in the gardens for the first time.