Summer in Nature: Photographs by Alun Williams

1. Seasons and cycles in nature Summer Photographs : Alun Williams

2. Summer - one swallow doesn’t make a summer The first swallows appear in Wales on or around the middle of April, by the end of June the young are ready to leave the nest. 11

3. 12 Summer goslings and a blue tit chick.

4. Snowdon Lily. The SnowdonLily is very rare in Wales. They can only be found in a few remote upland areas. 13

5. Wild Poppy. Poppies can be best seen in mid summer, often on roadside verges where the soil has been disturbed. Lesson – File: Flower 14

6. Orchids – spotted and bee orchids. There are more than 25,000 orchid species in the world , around 49 species grow in the UK. Approximately 30 species grow in Wales. The velvety flowers of the bee orchid look like bumble bees. A male bee can mistake the flower for a female and land on it, so becoming dusted with pollen and helping pollination. 15

7. Stoats Stoats are carnivorous animals that are best seen in early summer when the parents have young to feed. Lesson – File: Food Chain 16

8. Summer butterflies 17

9. Gatekeeper 18

10. Peacock 19

11. Red Admiral 20

12. Tortoiseshell 21

13. Speckled Wood 22

14. Butterflies and flowers Flowers provide food in the form of nectar for butterflies, the butterflies in return pollinate the flowers by accidentally picking up and depositing pollen. 23

15. Plants that eat animals Insectivorous plants are quite common in Wales where there are wet peatland bogs. Their insect-trapping mechanisms make sure that they get nutrients unavailable from the soil in their habitats. Sundew 24

16. Puffins can be seen in summer nesting on the cliffs of Wales, two good sites to visit are the cliffs at Ynys Lawd, Holyhead and Skomer Island. 25

17. Seals Seals can be seen around the coasts of Wales, they give birth to a single pup in late June. 26

18. Damselfly Damsel and dragonflies are brilliantly coloured, sun-loving insects with transparent wings that spend the summer flying over ponds and streams in search of prey. Close up of dragonfly eyes that allow them to see in all directions. Dragonfly 27

19. Bees pollinating lavender plants. Lesson – File: Plant Cycle 28