I have to start by extending enormous thanks to all those who came along as volunteers to cut and rake the grass in the churchyard this year. In spite of the drought, there was nevertheless a considerable volume of hay to be cut and cleared: after a long morning’s work we had it all done. Fortified, I have to say, by some delicious gingerbread generously made by Carola. Thank you too to those who stood by to come along a couple of days later, in case we hadn’t finished: although a second day was not needed, the willingness of people to stand by was much appreciated. In the event the second day was rather wet so a good thing that all was done.
It was heartening to see the difference that a few gentle showers had made
to the wildlife in the grass. In the heat of summer, it was difficult to find anything
much moving, and easy to imagine that all life had been extinguished. But with
the cooler weather so many familiar insects had reappeared. The Common
Blue and the Small Copper, which I suspect have established breeding
populations in the area, were there and stayed put long enough for everyone
to be able to admire their beauty. The turf was full of grasshoppers and other
insects. Star of the show was a Convolvulus Hawk Moth, found by Gabriella
hunkered down for the day by one of the tombstones. Hawk moths are among
our largest moths and this is no exception, with a wing span of about two inches. The wings are a brindled grey, but the body has gaudy pink and black stripes. Like most other moths, this flies by night and hides by day, so it’s difficult to appreciate just how large and varied is our moth population.
It's perhaps hard to imagine that we’d ever look forward to rainy days – after all, we Brits are known for our love of complaining about the weather. I believe I’m not alone in having found the extreme heat of August enervating. It’s heartening to see how quickly the countryside changes once the rain does come: the Downs and the fields and our lawns change from an eerie brown to a welcome green in just a matter of days. As the days shorten and we move into the senescence of Autumn, it’s heartening that, by looking closely, we can already see the signs of Spring emerging in the undergrowth.
Nigel Symington
nigel.symington@gmail.com
