Look Out For ... in May and June
Flora and fauna to look out for and things to celebrate in May and June
May
Birds such as the Swallow, House Martin, Swift, various Warblers and Flycatchers will be returning. Leaving food out or providing a bird table could help attract them to your garden.
Insects - as more plants grow and bloom, the insect life they support will become more visible. Caterpillars will metamorphose into butterflies, so look out for the Common Blue, Green Hairstreak, Pearl Bordered and Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries, Orange Tip, Painted Lady, and the Green Veined, Large and Small Whites along with the Grayling, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral and the Small Tortoiseshell.
Flowers - Bluebells will still appear as a carpet to many mature woodlands. Be careful not to trample them, as they can't live without their leaves! Primrose, Bugle, Nettles and Fleabane will be in bloom across embankments, under hedgerows, along field boundaries and in woodlands. Flowering plants include Wild Tulips, Sorrel (common and wood), and Cowslip, all of which are excellent for butterflies and birds.
Your garden will now be in full bloom and full of action. Birds will be protecting their first eggs, hedgehogs and bats will be out hunting insects at dusk and the earliest froglets and toadlets will begin to leave their hatching ponds.
Walk in the Woods Month - http://www.treecouncil.org.uk/
Be Nice to Nettles Week: 13th - 24th May - http://www.nettles.org.uk/
Walk to School Week: 18th - 22nd May - http://www.walktoschool.org.uk/
June
Glow worms are now quite rare in Scotland, but June and July are the months you are likely, if ever, to see them. The flightless females wait in bushes to attract the low flying males.
Wildflower meadows will be at their best now, before setting to seed. As modern farming practices destroyed many meadows, why not recreate a small area of meadow in your garden. Yarrow, Cornflower and Knapweed will be in flower and grow well in most gardens.
Butterflies in flight include the Small Tortoiseshell which breeds on nettles in a sheltered south facing position - as sun and warmth are required by all butterflies. All insecticides kill butterflies, so try not to use them. If you grow Cabbages or Nasturtiums, plant them in the coolest and shadiest parts of your garden to minimise the damage done to them by the butterflies.
World Environment Day: 5th June - http://www.unep.org/
National School Grounds Week: 8th - 12th June - http://www.ltl.org.uk/
Green Transport Week: 13th - 20th June - http://www.eta.co.uk/
Royal Highland Show, Ingliston: 25th - 28th June - http://www.royalhighlandshow.org/
