Nature's Calendar

teasel in flower

July

gatekeeper
Gatekeeper

All our butterflies should be on the wing in July except the Orange-tip so it is the best month to spot them all. The gatekeeper, the last of our butterflies to appear, will be a common sight in July and August.

banded demoiselle
Banded Demoiselle

Almost all of the Dragons and Damsels will be flying this month except for the Hawkers, most of which, apart from the Emperor, our largest dragonfly, don't appear in any numbers until August.

There should be good numbers of Common Darters flying and this month they will be joined by the similarly couloured although slightly smaller Ruddy Darter. Less common is the Small Red-eyed Damselfly which should also be about during July and August.

water mint
Water Mint

Teasels start to flower in July along with Rosebay Willowherb, Spear Thistle, Water Mint and the very invasive Himalayan Balsam.

The Swifts that arrived in May will have nested and be thinking about flying back to Africa towards the end of this month.

Footpaths - 12 March

Most paths are walkable now the water level has dropped. However, many are still very muddy and a few are only really walkable in wellies.

Report overgrown rights of way to East Sussex and other paths to the Friends of Combe Valley.

Latest News

Whooper Swan

This year our usual winter-visiting wildfowl have been joined by a Whooper Swan. This unusual visitor to the park was last recorded here 12 years ago.

New on this website

April 2022 - A new section, "Nature's Calendar", has been added giving details of what to look out for around the Countryside Park at different times of the year.