Thames Water are going to announce a temporary hosepipe ban in the coming weeks

Still have plenty of water flowing in the river here at Bradford-on-Avon, although level is down a bit (but all the locals are blaming it on works on next weir)

Majority of the local playing fields are now mix of green and brown. Have only had 2 really wet days in last 2 months, but on both occasions completely soaked everything, which might explain the grass retaining some green

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This was our local "green" today. https://i.imgur.com/S24CL0N.jpg

 

 

The mature trees are just about hanging in there but starting to shows some signs of stress.

Younger trees are mostly dead or dying. There's a new "green space" down the road created to offset a housing development and I'd say about 90% of the trees that were planted there this year and last have dried to a crisp: https://i.imgur.com/P56gjxj.jpg

 

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This was our local "green" today. https://i.imgur.com/S24CL0N.jpg

 

 

The mature trees are just about hanging in there but starting to shows some signs of stress.

Younger trees are mostly dead or dying. There's a new "green space" down the road created to offset a housing development and I'd say about 90% of the trees that were planted there this year and last have dried to a crisp: https://i.imgur.com/P56gjxj.jpg

 

Those trees will be part of a planning condition. If you value your green space it would be well worth drawing that to the attention of the local authority as there will be a contractual obligation to rectify any defects to planting for typically 12 or 24months, sometimes longer. If theres only a few weeks/months left on the defects the developers/contractors will often turn a blind eye in the hope they can play out the remaining time without rectifying the issues. Don't let the developers get away with it!

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Good advice re the planners.

I’m now at my in-laws in the Test Valley (Hampshire). The brook and ford at the end of their road are bone dry (as in the stream bed is not even slightly damp). That’s the first time I’ve seen it like that in over 20 years of visiting.

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Not many leaves left on my Silver Birch tree now. There is no green grass anywhere. It has gone from brown to almost white. The last (small amount) of rain was mid June so two months of zero rainfall. But this is very different to 1976. Insects thrived that year and consequently many birds did as well. Moths abounded. We are in the middle of an insect extinction which seems to only slowly been acknowledged by people. There have been lots of blackfly and aphids but unlike '76 no Ladybirds to purge them.

"This was the summer of the great ladybird invasion. One observer, in Louth, Lincolnshire, recalls: “I remember seeing the greenfly and aphids drifting past the doors like green smoke. This went on for at least a couple of days. Then came the ladybirds!” They were tracking the aphids, on which ladybird adults and larvae feed. There are also accounts of light aircraft vanishing into ladybird swarms, seas covered in ladybirds, and combine harvesters jamming up with ladybirds and aphids."

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I remember as a child the middle of Lyme Bay three miles out covered in ladybirds in '76. This year nocturnal moths seem plentiful as I encounter them in large numbers when I go somewhere in the dark. I must try to see if the glow worm field is showing signs of life this year but it's a hike. Sea weed flies in number and must be a feast for birds that thrive there.

Otherwise daytime insects are rare, hoverflies almost non existent, butterflies a couple of large whites and a comma in the garden yesterday.

Honey bees? A few but more Bumbles  though I don't know the species, love the marjoram flowering now and blue agapanthus earlier. The poached egg plants specially sown for the hoverflies and others have withered and produced a miniscule amount of flowers this year.

It's a 2/10 gardening year and 10/10 useable summer weather and even if we see a change next week I won't change that. 

 

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If the GFS 0Z is to be believed, there won't be a drought. Proper deluge territory, for much of the run.

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Interesting graphic showing the very regional nature of the drought conditions. 

The contrast to 1976 - which covered all areas of the UK - is pretty stark (as is the comparison to last summer, which is almost the opposite) 

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Interesting graphic showing the very regional nature of the drought conditions. 

The contrast to 1976 - which covered all areas of the UK - is pretty stark (as is the comparison to last summer, which is almost the opposite) 

I find it incredible that the powers that be are only talking about declaring an official drought when it's obvious to most of us I assume that we've been in drought conditions for most of this summer in many parts of the South.

The pictures accompanying the article show drought conditions so why are they taking so long to wake up? I suppose you could argue there are different kinds of drought...

Drought to be declared on Friday, insiders say

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-62491782#comments

Nick

 

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It would be really useful and interesting to have some more pictures of the drought posted on here if anyone is able to do that?
It would be especially good if we could get some from the worst hit areas - this is a roughly once in a generation event and so would be good to record its impact visually.
Get snapping TWO!

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It would be really useful and interesting to have some more pictures of the drought posted on here if anyone is able to do that?
It would be especially good if we could get some from the worst hit areas - this is a roughly once in a generation event and so would be good to record its impact visually.
Get snapping TWO!

 

It's not a 'once in a genertion' event, though. Is is that much drier than 2018?

It's certainly not anything like as widespread.

If you want, I could post a pic of the lush, green grass and vegatation round here.  It's been a good summer generally, but interspersed with bouts of some rain (enough to keep things watered sufficiently)

In all, for this region at least, I suspect it's been a fantastic growing season for farmers

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Not many leaves left on my Silver Birch tree now. There is no green grass anywhere. It has gone from brown to almost white. The last (small amount) of rain was mid June so two months of zero rainfall. But this is very different to 1976. Insects thrived that year and consequently many birds did as well. Moths abounded. We are in the middle of an insect extinction which seems to only slowly been acknowledged by people. There have been lots of blackfly and aphids but unlike '76 no Ladybirds to purge them.

"This was the summer of the great ladybird invasion. One observer, in Louth, Lincolnshire, recalls: “I remember seeing the greenfly and aphids drifting past the doors like green smoke. This went on for at least a couple of days. Then came the ladybirds!” They were tracking the aphids, on which ladybird adults and larvae feed. There are also accounts of light aircraft vanishing into ladybird swarms, seas covered in ladybirds, and combine harvesters jamming up with ladybirds and aphids."

My garden seems to have been very busy with insects. More butterflies than I can remember, plus moths, damselflies, rose chafers, the odd ladybird and so on. Certainly no sign of a decline in my own little patch. We also seem to have more birds in our garden but that is probably partly down to the building work providing plenty of patches of sand and dust for them to bathe in.

 

I'll get some pics of the dry brook later.

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It's not a 'once in a generation' event, though. Is is that much drier than 2018?

It's certainly not anything like as widespread.

Well for many places I think it is at least in the South, perhaps even a more than a once in a generation thing. I've just had a look at some pics from 2018 and found some August images in Cardiff. where the grass is green by the castle.

This year I have no idea what Cardiff is like but it surely isn't as green as 2018?

Some pics around Weymouth in July 2018 where it's dry but nothing to compare to this year where it's as parched as I've ever seen things.

It's the widespread fires that people will perhaps remember this summer for.

 

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Well for many places I think it is at least in the South, perhaps even a more than a once in a generation thing. I've just had a look at some pics from 2018 and found some August images in Cardiff. where the grass is green by the castle.

This year I have no idea what Cardiff is like but it surely isn't as green as 2018?

Some pics around Weymouth in July 2018 where it's dry but nothing to compare to this year where it's as parched as I've ever seen things.

It's the widespread fires that people will perhaps remember this summer for.

 

 

If you look at the pic of the maps I posted, you'll see Cardiff isn't that dry (Wales on the whole is close to average, albeit drier in the East and North). I suspect Cardiff was possibly drier in 2018.

Like I said in my edit above, it's not been a bad summer at all here (we're slightly drier than average).

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If you look at the pic of the maps I posted, you'll see Cardiff isn't that dry (Wales on the whole is close to average, albeit drier in the East and North). I suspect Cardiff was possibly drier in 2018.

Like I said in my edit above, it's not been a bad summer at all here (we're slightly drier than average).

It's definitely been drier than 2018 in the S/SE/E. Loads of stations eg. Hurn, Odiham, Charlwood, SJP, etc have reported less than 1mm of rain since the start of July! (so basically a total drought)

Not many leaves left on my Silver Birch tree now. There is no green grass anywhere. It has gone from brown to almost white. The last (small amount) of rain was mid June so two months of zero rainfall. But this is very different to 1976. Insects thrived that year and consequently many birds did as well. Moths abounded. We are in the middle of an insect extinction which seems to only slowly been acknowledged by people. There have been lots of blackfly and aphids but unlike '76 no Ladybirds to purge them.

"This was the summer of the great ladybird invasion. One observer, in Louth, Lincolnshire, recalls: “I remember seeing the greenfly and aphids drifting past the doors like green smoke. This went on for at least a couple of days. Then came the ladybirds!” They were tracking the aphids, on which ladybird adults and larvae feed. There are also accounts of light aircraft vanishing into ladybird swarms, seas covered in ladybirds, and combine harvesters jamming up with ladybirds and aphids."

I remember the greenfly invasion followed by the ladybird invasion.  They stuck to shop windows, which went green, then red!  I was thinking about that the other day because we do actually have a lot of both aphids and ladybirds.  Our plum tree is covered and I’ve had to move garden furniture from underneath it, as it was sticky with honeydew.  It has also attracted a lot of wasps and flies. 

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A drought is expected to be declared in the South West tomorrow

 

I find it incredible that the powers that be are only talking about declaring an official drought when it's obvious to most of us I assume that we've been in drought conditions for most of this summer in many parts of the South.

The pictures accompanying the article show drought conditions so why are they taking so long to wake up? I suppose you could argue there are different kinds of drought...

Drought to be declared on Friday, insiders say

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-62491782#comments

Nick

 

I too think they’re late to act.  I do wonder if it’s because they know they’ll be in for criticism for failing to repair leaks.  The environment agency surely know how low water courses and reservoirs are because they monitor levels quite widely.  Our rivers and water supplies are in a terrible state.  I much preferred it when the NRA had the power over water courses. The environment agency has too wide a remit to be effective. 

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I too think they’re late to act.  I do wonder if it’s because they know they’ll be in for criticism for failing to repair leaks.  The environment agency surely know how low water courses and reservoirs are because they monitor levels quite widely.  Our rivers and water supplies are in a terrible state.  I much preferred it when the NRA had the power over water courses. The environment agency has too wide a remit to be effective. 

The EA is understaffed as I’m sure you know. Perhaps the best thing we can do rather than rely on their hard worked staff doing everything, is for example if you see a pollution incident get a sample even if it's in a bottle you carry in the car. Too often the slug of pollution has passed downstream and it’s too late to get a result prosecution wise. Then get it to the EA asap.

Of course even better than taking water samples is to get involved with something like this. https://riverthame.org/get-involved/volunteering/surveys/riverfly/

I like the pic of the Mayfly

You can observe a much better series of snapshots about the health of a watercourse than ordinary sampling will ever do. Simple really because you can tell the health of a watercourse by the species of insect you find or don’t find. The canaries in the cage so to speak.

https://www.riverflies.org/

Nick

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