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Things to look out for in December

December is the quietest month for flowers and insects but you may well discover an over wintering butterfly in a corner of your garage or shed. Adult Comma, Brimstone, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell all spend the winter here.

In mild weather our native creatures will still be out hunting for food. Bird tables will be popular visiting spots for a variety of species.
Winter bird roosts will be at their height and include starlings around towns, waders on our estuaries and lakes and finches and buntings in the farming areas. Get to a roost in plenty of time so you can see the true build up in numbers from the first few to the final hundreds or thousands. Wait until the last birds are in and the flock falls silent.

Tree silhouettes can be studied now the leaves have gone. Also look out for the bunches of the parasitic plant mistletoe which grow in clumps on their chosen host tree. These are generally deciduous trees such as crab apple, lime and willow. Evergreen trees come into their own giving form and colour to the countryside along with their brightly coloured berries.

December is the time for the urban foxes to begin their courtship rituals. There is no mistaking their high-pitched screams in the dead of night …. a seriously chilling sound.

Good places to visit in December

• Bedgebury Pinetum, Goudhurst.
• RSPB Reserve at Elmley (Isle of Sheppey)
• Bough Beech TQ 496489