The quiet month of August, with the bird song all but over, heralds the start of the bird migration. Stover’s migrants will start to put on weight in the next few weeks in preparation for their long journey south. They will start to eat sugar-rich foods, such as rowan berries, elderberries and blackberries, in preference […]

The longest day is now behind us and summer is in full swing, experiencing an amber heatwave already!  On the heath the heather will soon start to flower along with heath speedwell and eyebright. A characteristic sound of the heath in mid-summer is the crackle of the seed pods of common gorse as they split […]

The rhododendron is pretty spectacular at this time of year along with the yellow azaleas which flower along the lake path. The flag iris is turning the marsh from green to gold. Summer flowers are at their best this month. Heath and common spotted orchids are out in profusion along with bugle, tormentil, red campion, […]

May is the month when the rhododendron, azalea, and yellow flag start to flower; the trees come into leaf; the last of the summer migrants return, and when the dawn chorus is at its peak. Nightjars usually start arriving from their winter quarters in Africa in May. The males arrive first usually during the first […]

Spring has arrived at Stover and it won’t be long before many of the animals that have hibernated over the winter will start to emerge. Look out for the white blooms of blackthorn (blackthorn flowers before it comes into leaf) which is vital for quite a few early insects. The pussy willow catkins are due […]

Just as winter is at its dreariest the wildflowers are starting to pop up. January started cold with the lake frozen for nearly a week, but then turned back to mild and extremely wet. Snowdrops and celandines have been in flower for several weeks. In sheltered spots keep an eye out for dog’s mercury and […]

Happy New Year! With the shortest day thankfully behind us, spring isn’t far away. Spring is signalled in the form of birdsong. The usual communication calls of birds are joined by the songs of territorial birds claiming their space and advertising for mates. Apart from robins (both male and female sing over the winter), bird […]

Stover’s autumnal golds and reds are finally fading and falling now that winter has descended. The woodland birds will now have fewer daylight hours in which to feed. Most insects have now gone into hibernation and are hidden away by the beginning of December. Woods rustle as blackbirds and thrushes sift through the leaf-litter in […]

November is the month when old man’s beard covers the trees and hedgerows. Late-flowering ivy, scabious and Michaelmas daisy provides nectar for many insects before they hibernate for the winter. During October the weather stayed unseasonably mild (as it did in 2024) with butterflies still on the wing, especially red admirals, during the dry days. […]

October is the month when the trees are in their full autumn colours. With the shorter days and less powerful sun, the trees are no longer running efficiently and are reabsorbing the green chemical chlorophyll, leaving the brown, russet and yellow pigments as the dominant colours of the season. As the leaves drop, galls become […]