Some natural happenings are still seasonable at the traditional times, such as the shedding of antler velvet by roe bucks (Capreolus capreolus). The beginning of May is the time when the antlers harden and the winter warm covering of fur dries. The buck usually rubs it off by rubbing the antlers on small trees but sometimes it just falls off. Here on a heathland path a large piece lays where it fell.
Tadpoles of the common frog(Rana temporaria)huddle together in a small pond to catch warmth from the sun; but this is very dangerous for them as many birds and mammals will easily take them.This is very natural as the whole reason as to why so many spawn is produced is to ensure that just a few will survive to breed in a few years time.
Fortunately many Dartford warblers(Sylvia undata)have survived the harsh long winter and have started to breed.During the cold winters of the nineteen sixties, the numbers in England dropped to just a few pairs. Here a fine male sings atop the flowering gorse on Bournemouth cliff top.
The mating season for many spider species is now, and the woodlice spider(Dysdera crocata )emerges from its ivy clad walls and tree trunks to seek a mate. The large jaws of this species enable it to tackle beetles and woodlice, two of its preferred prey species.
