The number nine has been recurrent this month.

Two of my neighbours have bird boxes of which one had nine fledgling Great Tits and the other had nine Blue Tits one of which sadly flew into a large window and was hoped to be merely stunned but sadly never recovered. The third group of nine was seen by an allotment holder who, when wheeling a barrow onto their plot, was met by a pheasant with nine chicks! The barrow gave way to the pedestrian traffic which must have a home in the area.
The hot weather earlier on has encouraged butterflies out. Five Painted Ladies were seen on the white Valerian outside the community Centre and a number of blue butterflies, probably Holly Blues have been fluttering round the evergreen shrubs round Mary Day Close. A number of Green-veined Whites are frequently in the same area. A Speckled Wood was seen on Broomhill by one who frequently walks there but has never seen that butterfly there before. A special moment was experienced by my neighbour who, one clear night some days ago, went out to look at the moon but while enjoying that heard some snuffling near their feet and saw two Hedgehogs having a set too on the flowerbed. Were they trying to mate or were they both males disputing over territory?
Pantile rooves in the High Street have provided nesting places to Swifts and this year is no exception. One owner of a cottage with a pantile roof had it visited by a pair of Swifts which some days later disappeared. However a few days later a huge hornet was seen coming out from under the tiles. An interesting puzzle. Other immigrant birds are happily nesting and rearing young. Swallows are seen busy in the barns at Manor Farm and the House Martins can be seen feeding young at Crown Corner.

The Pyramidal Orchids are prolific to the south side of the church and Ladies Bedstraw is coming into flower by the drive as is small Quaking-grass. The Field Scabious is just beginning to flower. Lots to look forward to.

A young Heron frequents a pond in a garden near the church and is the chief suspect for the disappearance of the fish in the pond, Wildlife is welcome in most gardens but not always indoors and a neighbour who left her door open in the warm weather had regular visits from a Woodpigeon and a Squirrel. A Roe deer comes right up to another house near the plantation and these same folk have found large excavations in that area, likely to be a Badger sett. Has anyone seen a Badger around?

A sad sight in Lower Road spotted by a walker was a dead Grass Snake. Sad road kill.
Having to make detours during roadworks gives one the chance to look at the hedges. Sadly in some places covered with the mesh of Ermine moth caterpillars. The bushes do recover the following spring however. A more cheerful sight are the rampant Field Roses now in full bloom.

Brenda Hudson