Every year, the BNHS recorders provide summaries of the records that have been submitted during the year.  The weather had a major impact on the wildlife in 2014 as shown by their summary –

• 2014 was officially the warmest year since records began and the 4^th wettest in the 21^st century with more than 200mm more rainfall than 2013.
• Weather good for bugs; over 400 species identified in Beds now; 3 new ones found on Turkey Oak Quercus cerris, an alien tree introduced 250 years ago, now widely distributed in S England.
• Bee records down this year. Cuckoo bees had a very poor year which may be because of the wet winter flooding their ground level hibernation sites.
• Weather quite was favourable for butterflies with more than usual up to July; Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina most abundant butterfly but the 3 whites, Small White Pieris rapae, Large White Pieris brassicae, Green-veined White Pieris napae did very badly. Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus numbers also down while Silver Washed Fritillary Argynnis paphia had its best year. Purple Emperor Apatura iris now found at 10 sites.
• Norfolk Hawker dragonfly Aeshna isosceles found breeding in Paxton Pitts in 2013, was seen again in Potton Wood that year but not seen there in 2014. The Variable Damselfly Coenagrion puchellum, a vagrant was found again. 21 other species were recorded during the year. The flight season was extended to 3/12/2014. The last dates of records in previous years have all been in November.
•  27 species of orchids recorded in Bedfordshire. The last 2 years have been good for orchids, with data from over 250 recorders, coinciding with recording for the new orchid book to be released end April 2015.
• 2 new species of hoverflies Syrphus nitidifrons and Leucozona glaucia increasing the total to 127 species.
• No new mammals recorded but Wallaby recorded in Shuttleworth. Water voles Arvicola amphibious still present but Bank Voles Clethrionomys glareolus rarely recorded. 4 records for Harvest Mouse Micromys minutus. Otter Lutra lutra survey going well, Mink Neovison vison are still present though.
• 11 species of Bats recorded.
• More new county records for macro-moths since 1970s and 12 more species of micro-moths.
• 1^st frog spawn recorded on 8^th March, 10 days earlier than usual. 1^st toad spawn reported 18th March 2015. Grass snakes were found in places they are not normally seen.
• Watch out for alien Wasp spiders Argippe bruennichi on verges, the males are difficult to see. Pitfall traps in the same garden for 20 years have found 132 species of spiders and 13 species of Harvestman.
• 9 new species of weevils. Some weevils produce leaf mines and were recorded when searching for leaf-mining moths.

… is now available here.

Do you have a pond, and if so have you checked it recently to see if you have any frog or toad spawn yet? Frog spawn can sometimes be seen before Christmas but March is the normal time for frogs and toads to start spawning, and they can often be seen crossing the roads at dusk as toads in particular are very particular about where they breed and often migrate back to their ancestral breeding ponds each year.

To help the toads cross the roads to get to their ponds, the Toads on Roads project by Froglife registers these sites as ‘migratory crossings’ and helps coordinate local Toad Patrols. There are several across Bedfordshire and you may see signs like this one in Heath and Reach. Then when conditions are right, you can see people in the evening on Toad Patrol wearing bright yellow jackets by the side of the road carrying buckets ready to help toads cross the road.

And don’t worry they help frogs across too.

Christmas seems a long time ago now but there’s still plenty of time before school starts again and there’s plenty of things you can do to help the wildlife in your garden on these cold winter days.

• Birds struggle to find food and you can help by putting out food for the birds. Getting a good set of feeders and the right mix of food can have a major impact on the birds. Here are some of the birds to look out for in your garden this winter and the best food to attract them.
• Birds need water too and as water freezes quickly, you can help by making a bird bath and topping it up with fresh water every day.
• If you made the Minibeast Hibernation Home from our newsletter, on sunny days you could have a look to see if any insects have left their home for a while to enjoy some sunshine. Remember, don’t disturb them though. Don’t worry if you haven’t made one yet, there’s still time.
• If you have a pond in your garden, keep a close watch on it and if you see a frog swimming under the ice of your garden pond this winter, it may need your help. You can help by floating a ball on the pond surface or gently breaking the ice or thawing it with warm water to allow more oxygen to penetrate.

We would love to hear what is happening in your garden this year, so please let us know.