July

July is usually a great month for insects, many of whom appreciate some long vegetation - so please don't be too hasty to get the mower out! Keeping the grass long will also keep it healthy during any dry spells as grass that has been cut short will become brown much more quickly.

Whatever suits your garden can also suit wildlife and the area will soon be full of buzzing bees and chirping grasshoppers. Why not also include some night-scented flowers in your garden or outdoor space and see if you can attract moths and bats? You can also help wildlife by adding some fresh water, even a small saucer in the lawn will be beneficial to mammals, birds and insects who all need to drink during hot, dry weather.

What to spot this month

• Hummingbird Hawkmoth
• Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonflies
• Bats
• Peacock Butterflies
• Elephant Hawkmoth
• Common Spotted Orchid
• Rosebay Willowherb
• Swifts, Swallows and House Martins
• Glow Worms
• Foxgloves
• Chalkhill and Common Blue Butterflies
• Solitary bees

Tell us what you've seen

There are many more species to be spotted this month so keep your eyes peeled and don’t forget to submit your sightings via iRecord. These records are then shared with the Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre, who hold species data for the county.

Sussex Wildlife Trust nature reserves to visit this month

Old Lodge is a Local Nature Reserve set in the middle of the Ashdown Forest. Heathlands are at their best in summer. Bees, wasps and butterflies busy themselves over the vegetation, Stonechats utter their staccato call from the top of gorse bushes, and the vistas of the rolling Wealden landscape are purple clad with Bell Heather. 

Take a stroll on a warm evening and you might hear the eerie sounds of a Nightjar churring or see the stark silhouette of a Woodcock on its ‘roding’ flight, marking out a giant circle just above tree level to stake its territory. Old Lodge also has several boggy ponds that are popular with species of dragonfly that are generally uncommon in Sussex. These include the Golden-ringed Dragonfly, Black Darter, Keeled Skimmer and the extremely rare Red Damselfly.

Sussex Wildlife Trust Courses

See what events and courses Sussex Wildlife Trust are running this month.