Stag beetles

Look out for stag beetles flying around on warm evenings in June. These are one of our largest beetles and are named after the males’ fearsome jaws, which are said to resemble the antlers of a stag, and – just like the deer – they will use them to fight off male rivals.

The adults are short-lived (no more than a couple of months), but their larvae spend several years hidden underground where they feed on rotting wood. Look for them on woodland edges, in hedgerows, parks and gardens.

Black hairstreak

Black hairstreaks are one of the UK’s rarest butterflies, found only in thickets of blackthorn in woodlands and along hedgerows between Oxford and Peterborough.

They can be seen on several BBOWT nature reserves, including Finemere Wood, Rushbeds Wood, Whitecross Green Wood, Asham Meads and Bernwood Meadows. (Take care not to trample the wild flowers at these reserves when looking for butterflies.)

Black hairstreaks lay their eggs on mature blackthorn and their caterpillars glow under UV light, making them easier to detect for our torch-wielding butterfly surveyors! As part of our Reconnecting Bernwood, Otmoor and the Ray Programme, we’re using this technique to discover where they are across the landscape and advising landowners how they can manage blackthorn hedges carefully to protect this rare butterfly – just as we do on our own reserves. 

Find out more about this innovative technique

Barn owls

The beautiful barn owl, with its pure white feathers and heart-shaped face, is perhaps our most-loved owl.

Females usually lay clutches of about four eggs in April or May and they start hatching a month later. The middle of June is a great time to look for the new parents hunting in the daytime for mice to feed their voracious chicks – look out at our Chimney Meadows reserve in West Oxfordshire.

Adder's-tongue fern

This is an unusual fern that appears between June and August, spending the rest of the year underground as a rhizome. It is considered a good indicator species of ancient meadows and can be found alongside common spotted-orchids, quaking-grass and devil's-bit scabious.

Mostly it only has one frond but sometimes has a pair. Last Summer however, Phil Townsend, Volunteer Warden at Aston Clinton Ragpits, discovered one with three fronds at the reserve! Learn all about this tiny nature reserve and the wildlife that lives there at our guided walk on Sunday 7 June.

Bee orchid

Another wildlife wonder which can be found at this orchid haven is the bee orchid. These are named after their flowers, which are said to resemble a bumblebee. Often orchid flowers resemble the species of insect that is needed to pollinate the flowers, but in the UK bee orchids self-pollinate.

As well as Aston Clinton Ragpits, you may find bee orchids at our other nature reserves on chalk grassland in the Chilterns, such as Warburg Nature Reserve.

Froglet

One of the greatest joys of any summer has to be watching tiny baby frogs emerging from a pond and hopping onto dry land for the first time.

Tadpoles generally start developing legs in May, when they shift from a vegetarian to a carnivorous diet to get vital extra protein.

By June, the earliest tadpoles will have completely metamorphosed, and warm wet nights are a great time to head to a pond with a torch and look for emerging froglets and toadlets. Our CS Lewis Nature Reserve in Oxford is the perfect place to look.

Meadow brown butterflies

Unlike the more elusive black hairstreak, meadow brown butterflies are very common and widespread. Their caterpillars feed on grasses, so why not allow an area of your garden to grow long? You may even find some wild flowers appear among the grasses, particularly if you scatter some yellow rattle seed which helps to slow the growth of grasses and gives more room for flowers.

Meadow brown butterflies, particularly the females, may be confused with gatekeeper butterflies, but those have two white dots on their wings instead of one and tend to rest with their wings open.

How to grow a wild patch or mini-meadow in your garden

Eggs-and-bacon

With its yolk-coloured petals and crimson buds, it's not hard to see why bird's-foot-trefoil has earned its breakfast-based nickname. 

Another of its evocative names is 'granny's toenails', which gives an instant impression of the claw-like seed pod! Look out for it at our Yoesden reserve near High Wycombe, which is a hive of activity at this time of year.

Nightjars

Nightjars migrate to the UK every year from sub-Saharan Africa to breed. They’re here from May to September and the best time to see – or more likely hear – them is now.

The birds are most active at dusk, when they catch flying insects in mid-air. The male nightjars call for mates by churring loudly from the tops of trees. We’re holding several nightjar walks in West Berkshire throughout June and July, book on at bbowt.org.uk/events and come along for a chance to hear these special birds!

Browse our upcoming events

Glow worms

These famous insects are actually a type of beetle, and it is the wingless females that glow: they cling to grass stalks on warm summer nights and - unlike the hairstreak catterpillars which reflect UV light - produce a greenish light from their abdomens. The winged males fly around searching for these emerald invitations.

We are very lucky to have a population at Whitecross Green Wood a few miles north of Oxford – well worth a night out! They’ve also been spotted at several of our reserves in recent years, including Chinnor Hill near Aylesbury and Padworth Common near Reading. 

You can read our blog to hear from our previous Ecology Trainee, Vicky Hall, about her nighttime adventures searching for both nightjars and glow worms!

Enter the world of the crepuscular

How to help wildlife this June