But that wasn’t all there was to see at our nature reserves in May. Take a look at what our staff, volunteers and visitors spotted.

Mere Sands Wood

There’s nothing like a woodland in spring, especially when that woodland is Mere Sands Wood. The reserve was at its idyllic best last month, with inquisitive bank voles foraging around the bird feeding station and buzzards perching on the gnarled branches of old trees. Blue tits began nesting in inconspicuous tree holes and wrens sung at the top of their voices. Speckled wood butterflies followed visitors up and down the footpaths, pausing to bask on sun-soaked leaves.

Brockholes

Brockholes Nature Reserve in Preston burst into spring last month. Swifts announced their joyful return with screaming, swooping flights over Meadow Lake. Roe deer pottered around the meadows with their fawns in tow. Northern marsh orchids beamed like fuschia beacons from the grass.

Brockholes’ insects undoubtedly stole the show, with beetles including golden-bloomed grey longhorn beetle, seven-spot ladybird and leafhoppers basking on vegetation in the sunshine. Day-flying cinnabar moths fed from nectar in the meadows, and one visitor even spotted a night-flying white ermine moth tucked away amongst some leaves, waiting for nightfall. May’s butterfly list included:

• Common blue
• Green-veined white
• Orange-tip
• Speckled wood
• Small copper
• Large skipper

Most exciting of all, though, was a very special dragonfly sighting. Amidst the banded demoiselles and azure damselflies; blue-tailed damselflies and broad-bodied chasers; regular visitors John Wright and Ken Hayes spotted a brand new species for our reserve: the hairy dragonfly. And it wasn’t just a first for Brockholes – this was the first ever record for ‘true’ Lancashire. Brockholes' list of dragonfly species now stands at 20, and we're so thankful to experts like John and Ken for passing on such important information.

The hairy dragonfly wasn’t our only more unusual visitor to Brockholes in May. A pair of garganey showed up on Meadow Lake, and a little tern dropped by very briefly before continuing on its way.

Middleton Nature Reserve

Middleton Nature Reserve’s population of warblers grew even larger last month, with a grasshopper warbler heard reeling from the vegetation. It joined the chorus of Cetti’s warblers, lesser whitethroats, common whitethroats, blackcaps and other warbler species filling the air with a riot of song.

Staff also spotted plenty of drinker moth caterpillars basking on the footpaths; their golden speckles almost shimmering in the sunshine.

Heysham Nature Reserve

Heysham Nature Reserve is one of the best places in Lancashire for insects. In May, we recorded some marvelous moths including the burnet companion, common wave and Mother Shipton moth – the latter named for the witch’s face that seems to adorn its wings.

It was also lovely to see some small heath butterflies out and about. They’re much more common than their rare cousin, the large heath, which we’ve reintroduced to Manchester’s peatlands, but are no less special. The small heath flies only in the sunshine, so keep your eyes peeled on moorland and grassland with shorter, fine grasses when the sun is out.

The Chat Moss peatlands

There was so much wildlife on the Chat Moss peatlands in May. We spotted more drinker moth caterpillars, as well as yellow wagtails chasing after insects. Round-leaved sundew plants started poking their sticky heads out of clumps of sphagnum moss, and our volunteers discovered a palmate newt hiding under some plug trays during a planting session. These little amphibians are highly acid-resistant, which helps them cope with the peatland environment.

What wildlife have you spotted on our nature reserves recently? Don’t forget to use the buttons below to tell us all about your sightings!