To view a different period, click on the appropriate link in the table below.

Look out for in:
Jan/Feb	March	April	May	Jun/Jul	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec

Interesting Features to be seen in June and July

By early June the wild roses are in flower and making a wonderful show in Stonepit Quarry. On the quarry floor most of the grass is eaten by rabbits, allowing small flowering plants to flourish with little competition. As the soil is so poor and stony, many of the plants are tiny, and you need to sit on the ground to see them properly. You should be able to find those listed below. (Note that many of these links below provide access to the bioimages.org.uk web site for example pictures of the listed plants. These pictures will have been taken from various locations in the UK, and therefore some variation may be possible (ie. flower colour) between the picture, and the same plant found in Stonepit Quarry. Other pictures are taken by the SVG in the reserve itself. field madder plant flower parsley piert plant wild strawberry plant common cudweed plant inflorescence common speedwell plant flower thyme-leaved speedwell plant flower salad burnet plant inflorescence - enlarged male head - enlarged fairy flax plant flower & pod flower stem small-flowered buttercup flower & leaves storksbill plant birdsfoot trefoil plant flower buds flowers and fruits biting (yellow) stonecrop plant flower grey lichen can also be found growing on the short turf Also in the quarry at this time, larger plants include: bee orchid plant flower side view flower - close up common spotted orchid plants flower spike flower - close up leaves bugle plants flower spike flower - close up rosebay willowherb plants flower - close up ragwort plant viper's bugloss plant flower - close up hound's tongue flower and seed stems flower - enlarged Many bumble bees are foraging for nectar, including: red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) white-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lucorum) common carder bee (Bombus pascuorum) garden bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) These four bumblebees are listed in order of increasing tongue length, so you will see red-tailed on tiny flowers like yellow clovers and bird’s-foot trefoil, while the longer-tongued species feed on flowers such as white dead-nettle and honyesuckle. Badgers will dig up bumblebees’ nests to eat the honey, so you may find a hole with some confused bees around it. A quick way for plants to compete for light is to climb up other plants. There is very little ivy in Old Sulehay Forest; ivy is not a common plant in ancient woodland. Honeysuckle and old-man’s beard are very common however. There are also two striking herbaceous climbers, namely: black bryony with shiny heart shaped leaves and twisting stems. plant flower - close up white bryony (no relation to black bryony) with dissected leaves and spiral tendril – a member of the cucumber family. plant honeysuckle is the food plant of the caterpillar of the white admiral butterfly, which is on the wing in July in the forest rides. flowers and foliage Look out also for purple hairstreak butterflies among the oak canopy in July. Young birds are now mostly out of the nest and seeking food for themselves. Five species of tits breeding in the wood (blue, great, coal, marsh and long-tailed) gang up and forage together. Their many eyes probably help them to spot danger quickly, for example a sparrow hawk, kestrel or hobby. Joining the parties of tits you are likely to see treecreepers, nuthatches, goldcrests, chiffchaffs and even woodpeckers. In July you may hear the husky squeaks of young tawny owls, especially near the horse chestnuts in the centre of the forest. Young rabbits and grey squirrels are abundant too, and you may see fallow deer and muntjac deer, especially in the evenings or early morning. An evening walk is worth making in June as you are likely to see glow worms. Glow worms are beetles not worms. The female glow worm has no wings and attracts the male by her glowing abdomen. Once she has been mated she stops glowing, so she may glow for only one night. Look for them among the grass from about 9.30 – 10.00pm around the edges of the forest and on roadside verges. Dragonflies and damselflies start appearing in June and July. When they are newly emerged they often go far from water in search of food. You may see: banded demoiselle large red damselfly blue tailed damselfly common blue damselfly brown hawker hairy dragonfly emperor dragonfly black tailed skimmer southern hawker Lastly, don’t forget the reptiles! On warm days you could see grass snakes and common lizards. Adders have not been recorded yet, but may be present. Adders are harmless unless you try to pick them up!