What to see in September

With September, the long summer the evenings start to draw in, misty mornings return and dew can be found out in the fields and on our cars. The weather can still be fine and there’s still much to see and glory at out in our open spaces, so read on the discover what you might find…

One of my favourite spots, Pen Ponds in Richmond Park. The eagle eyed amongst you might notice that this tree has tipped over since this picture was taken.

The annual rut is about to start and the stags can be found bellowing out their presence in our two larger Royal Parks, Richmond and Bushy.

Stag taking a bath in Pen Ponds.

Its not only the fields and cars that find themselves covered in dew, our wildlife too.

Small Copper on Barnes Common.

Butterflies can still be found on the wing, even into October.

Common Blue butterfly on Barnes Common.

September can be a good time to spot our native spiders, as their tell tale webs get covered in dew, and not just in our parks, our front gardens too.

Water droplets on a spiders web.

An Orb Spider in my front garden.

The rather spectacular Wasp Spider can be found in some places at this time of year, this was Barnes Common.

Groups of Starlings can be found almost anywhere, especially at the end of the day, when they are getting ready to roost for the night.

Starlings congregating on a roof beside the Thames in Barnes. They like to forage along the river at low tide.

Besides Butterflies, some other insects are still on the wing.

Damselfly at the Leg o’Mutton Nature Reserve in Barnes.

This is the time of the year when seeds and fruit, large and small, can be found everywhere, and timed perfectly for the natural world to gorge on to help them through the leaner months of winter.

Sweet Chestnuts in Bushy Park.

Even as they die off, plants can look good, whether on the common or in our gardens.

Robin at Kew Gardens.

So take a moment to get out and about and enjoy our great open spaces.