Country diary: questions of survival in the heat

Flitwick, Bedfordshire: Why have garden ants taken to extreme excavation? What are we to do with the toad gulping on the path?In this lawnmower-less summer we have been inclined to point a parched finger at the weather for every absence, aberration and adaptation in nature. Since the beginning of June, I have not seen a slug, centipede, millipede, or earwig. Worms are unknown outside the compost heap, mosquitoes thankfully unheard. The sole snail of the season was summoned into the open last week by an early morning shower. Caught short by the drying sun halfway up a fence, it sealed its shell shut and waited for moisture at nightfall to descend.We have entered the peak period for peacock butterflies, yet only five were reported last week in the whole county. I see butterflies pass through the garden, and they are nearly all blue or white. What have nettle-dependant caterpillars made of this year's shrivelled crop? Continue reading...