Flaming June? Not! Last month proved to be wetter, cooler and less sunny than usual courtesy of the fickle jet stream which moved further south than normal.

This is not good news for flying insects. However, fortunately in June there is a lull in butterfly activity with spring species fading away and summer ones not emerging until late in the month or early July when skippers and meadow browns are on the wing. The meadow brown is one of few species to fly in dull weather.

Swifts were absent in our skies for quite lengthy periods as they flew hundreds of miles away to find warm high pressure zones where airborne insects were more plentiful.

Blue and great tits rely on finding moth larvae on oak leaves with which to feed hungry nestlings but were thwarted as the caterpillars were washed off the trees in frequent heavy downpours.

Cool days restricted activity of bees foraging for nectar and pollen. Bees especially are having a bad time with numbers declining as a result of pesticides and herbicides saturating farmland and ‘de-wilding’ of the countryside.

Bees are crucial for pollinating agricultural crops and flowers and without their efforts yields suffer. Moths are also in rapid decline and they pollinate by night.

It is not generally appreciated that a whole range of invertebrates is beneficial in so many ways to ensure a healthy environment exercising natural control without the need for excessive chemical application.