01-June London’s June: Nature’s Grand Show

It is perhaps the busiest month for London’s animals and plants, with the maximum number of plants coming into flower and intense activity among insects. Any vacant or unused piece of ground is likely to be covered in wild flowers and even some of the parks, that are usually just dull open grassland with ‘lollipop trees’, are showing at least a smattering of colour. The long journeys of migrating birds are now over and we see far less of them flying over London. Birds now tend to be more stationery, if they are not still busy tending to their young. The bare branches of winter are long gone and even the lively greens of early spring have now turned a shade darker. Plants are all growing at a prolific rate with the long days, warmth and water. Woods are very green with dense leaf cover and open land tends to be very colourful.

The early flowering trees such as cherries, magnolias and horse-chestnuts have all now finished flowering. Even the flowering trees and shrubs of May e.g. lilac and laburnum, are quickly disappearing.

When asked which is their favourite month, many Londoners will answer “June”. It is a month of roses and strawberries, with the city hosting Ascot, Wimbledon, the Derby and often the Hampton Court flower show.

There is much folk-lore associated with June’s changeable weather. People used to listen to rooks, more noise from them indicating rain, which would then affect the date that the hay was collected. Swallows flying low over water, bees staying near their hive, or frogs croaking louder all foretold the same thing. If there was going to be wind with the rain, spiders would stop building their webs and if there was going to be a thunderstorm the birds would fall silent.

However, in 1867 the Derby was won during a snow storm. If it was going to be hot, cows would start lying down in the fields and swifts and swallows would start flying higher as the insects were being carried up by rising air currents.

June is also probably the most fragrant month of the year, with the scent of roses everywhere in gardens and the smell of hay everywhere in the countryside. Humid conditions after rain allow some scents to hang in the air and therefore carry further. June is when people want to sleep beneath the stars.

Lying down on south-facing slopes on chalk downs in good weather is a good start, or sitting in boats watching insects emerge from the water surface on still days, can also be recommended. There are thirty three sites of special scientific interest in London, each one of considerable interest this month. It is possibly the best month to take a ‘nature walk’. In early June spring may still be merging into summer but, by the end of June it is usually ‘high summer’ and we will start to hear the first ‘hum’ of insects as the birds fall silent.