LOGAN WALKER from BBOWT explains what wildlife to look out for near you in September

Providing a last snatch of summer, September is a time of transition where you can see late-emerging dragonflies as well as early arriving fungi.

Aerial acrobats

Migrant hawkers are one of the later dragonflies to emerge as adults in the summer, and you may see them still flying as late as November.

They breed in pools of standing water, but look for the adults flying in gardens, woodland and along hedgerows too.

Thatcham Reedbeds is a fantastic nature reserve to spot them, with more than 14 species of dragonfly and damselfly seen here.

As a group, hawkers are the largest and fastest flying dragonflies – they catch their insect prey mid-air and can hover or fly backwards.

But they have good cause to be wary…

One step up the food chain and with similar aerial acrobatic skills, hobbies catch – and often eat – prey such as dragonflies while flying.

They will even catch small birds to eat.

They spend the summer in Britain before heading back to warmer, southern countries for the winter.

Look out for them flying over heathland, wetlands and along woodland edges where there is plenty of food for them.

Miniature house guests

Like it or not, this is spider-mating season, which is why we start to see so many of them in our houses.

Most of the spiders you’ll see will be male house spiders, following the scent trails of breeding females.

They tend to follow the same route each night and tire easily, so if you notice a spider stop in its tracks, it’s not because it’s noticed you – it’s catching its breath!

But don’t worry if you’re not a fan, they’ll be seen less after a few weeks.

Spiders aren’t the only house guests you may experience this month.

While most bush crickets tend to stay well away from human environments, the delicate oak bush cricket is attracted to light at night, and often makes its way into houses at this time of year.

A modest insect, the male doesn’t sing like other grasshoppers and crickets, but instead drums his foot gently on the surface of leaves to attract a female.

If you find one in your house, you can catch it gently in your hands or a container and let it outside.

Flowers and fungi

From late summer to the end of September, when conditions are right, you may see thousands of autumn lady’s-tresses in the grassland at Greenham Common.

This delicate plant is a late-summer flowering orchid with white, bell-shaped flowers arranged in a single spiral around the stem.

The plants growing at Greenham Common may form the largest population on a single site in southern Britain.

You can hone your plant identification skills with our free workshop at Cholsey Great Hall on Saturday, September 21 – head to the events page on our website to book your place.

When it comes to fungi, you don’t need to wait until the midst of autumn to start your hunt, giant puffballs can already be found.

A very large, often roughly spherical white fungus, with thick leathery skin, they love nutrient-rich soil – look out for them in small clusters next to stinging nettles.

When young they are pure white, but as they mature they turn brown and eventually crack open to release their spores, of which a single puffball can produce trillions.

Typically the size of a football, there’s a report from 1877 of a giant puffball that measured 1.63m long, 1.37m wide and 0.24m tall!

For more information on where to see wildlife near you, visit the trust’s website: bbowt.org.uk.