Contributor

AT a time when we are deeply worried about the steep decline in our butterfly and moth populations, there is one scrap of good news and that concerns the Jersey tiger moth (pictured).

OVER the past 20 years, Britain's flying insect populations have declined by a massive 60 percent. This is an extremely worrying trend because insects play a vital role in the ecosystem.

WITH the temperature nudging thirty degrees, I'm in Richmond Park sheltering from the heat beneath a sprawling weeping willow alongside Beverley brook. The brook flows swiftly but low due to lack of rainfall and a gentle cooling breeze is blowing.

BUMBLE bees love foxgloves and indeed they are the plant's main pollinator. Looking out into my garden I can see three different shades of flowers and although several bees are foraging on all of them, they seem to have a preference for white.

NOW is the season for damselflies to be on the wing.

FOR the past 30 summers, I have enjoyed watching swallows as they nest beneath Turks pier alongside the river Thames at Kingston. This year there are three nests and I'm here on a sunny afternoon in late May watching three sets of parents hunting in pairs as they speed up and down the river, scooping up mayflies emerging from the surface then at full speed, zooming up into the nests under the boardwalk to be greeted by a loud chorus of twittering youngsters eager to be fed. A truly magical displ

IN these troubled times it is somewhat reassuring to know that at least the natural world appears to be functioning relatively normally. With spring in full swing, birdsong is increasing in volume and it is now time for our summer visiting birds to begin to arrive.

A RELATIVELY mild, and somewhat soggy, February encouraged many frogs to begin spawning a little earlier than usual.

IN the avian world, one of the most elaborate courtship displays is performed by a pair of great crested grebes. At this time of year these elegant birds can be seen indulging in these displays along the river Thames and on any reasonably large lakes.

RATHER like us, the heron is very much a creature of habit, having two or three favoured fishing spots which he faithfully adheres to.