[Umbrian]

Not sure where to post this but will continue here unless guided elsewhere.
This summer I have noticed several things that I feel must be related to the prevailing climate and wonder if members have noticed similar things.Here in our part of Italy we had a fairly mild, dry winter and the summer has been particularly hot and dry. The first thing I will mention is the absence of Lizard Orchids (Himantoglossum hircinum)
These are usually prolific in our area even flowering along the roadsides but I suddenly realised that I had not seen a single one this year. Other Orchids seemed to flower early - the small colony of Lady Orchids that was establishing in my garden had increased and other varieties were spotted in their usual places.

[Alisdair]

In SW France we usually have a big colony of several dozen lizard orchids at the holiday home we share with Helena's brother and his family, but this year none of them came up; there was some very odd weather there this year

[Hilary]

I was given a heavy book about Greek orchids this week.
ΟΙ ΑΥΤΟΦΥΕΙΣ ΟΡΧΙΔΕΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΑΣ --ΑΝΤΩΝΗΣ ΑΛΙΜΠΕΡΤΗΣ
The discussion abut Himantoglossum hircinum, Lizard orchids, made me rush to the book to use it for the first time.
I had told my husband that this following winter and spring we would have to take to the fields to find some of the orchids.in the book.
Apparently in Greece Himantoglossum is found near Kastoria. We have no intention of going to Kastoria in the near future so i won't be seeing that one

[Joanna Savage]

Nightingales. Here in the hills in Toscana at 350 m. we have had wonderful nightingales, birds rarely heard here. During the long very hot summer they were calling to each other on the valley, and even yesterday and today which is damp and cloudy, they are in full throat. I hope they come back next year too.

[Alisdair]

Joanna, Do you usually hear nightingales so late? Here in Sussex we used to have them singing lustily every night, but really only from May into the first half of June (we never hear them now because the exploding badger population seems to have gobbled up all the low and ground-nesting birds, including the skylarks and partridges that we used to have quite abundantly - not to mention the hares and hedgehogs).

[Joanna Savage]

Hello Alisdair. Unfortunately I am not a bird expert. I await a visit from Melissa Hamilton to identify them as nightingales for me. However I am 95 percent sure they are not blackbirds singing as I have been listening carefully . And yes, they are still here, especially during the day.

Melissa made a marvellous identification two years ago of Leiothrix. It is a pekin robin, an escapee which turned up near Lucca about six years ago. I leave some clusters of grapes at the end of the season for the birds, this year the pekin robins have been plentiful, and very pretty as they dart from olive tree to grape.
You mention hedgehogs. For fifteen years I have been fortifying the perimeter fence to keep out wild boar and porcupines. I was very surprised, in these recent damp days, to find that in two places someone is trying to dig a way out of the garden. It might be hedgehogs which I occasionally see. Or could it be toads? I am wondering if I should provide some kind of tunnel to let them out, but the porcupines would soon find a way around that.

[David Dickinson]

The Nightingale that sets up its territory in the abandoned property next to my little garden (Rome) sings until June and then its gone. Perhaps you have Nightingales on their way south from their northern territories? It is maybe a little early in the year for European Robins to be singing but they have a most beautiful voice and sing through the night here from  November.

[David Dickinson]

You know what they say in showbiz about never working with animals and children.. perhaps they should also say never write about animals on blogs. Immediately after writing the post above I went out into the garden to hang out washing. There was a robin in full song and it is still singing now

[Umbrian]

Regarding Nightingales - we had far less this year and they stopped singing very early - suffering from the heat was the probable cause I thought. I hope they reared their young successfully and come back in numbers next year.

[Umbrian]

Continuing with noticeable differences this year - I visited a friend at the weekend and was amazed at the size, and number of flowers on the petunias and bedding begonias that she always has in pots that stand along a rather dark and otherwise dismal patio. She loves bright colours and has found that these plants usually put on the best display but -  never before as this year. I asked her if she had been bombarding them with fertiliser but she said no - just watering as usual. They obviously enjoyed the extra heat.

[Umbrian]

Another noticeable difference this year - the prolific flowering of Common  Toadflax, Linaria vulgaris. This Toadflax makes its appearance in late summer in our area and is usually quite spindly and sparse. This year there is a magnificent display of robust clumps even along the edges of the motorway. I  encouraged it in my garden but was always disappointed by the straggly growth and poor flowering. How I wish it always performed as it is this year - quite spectacular. Obviously the rain we had in September. came at just the right time for this plant.

[gertrude]

Yes this year there is so much yellow toadflax everywhere.  All hedgerows around us are burgeoning with it, what a pretty sight they make.  If you read my Wild Flower walks on the Italian site you will note the shortage of many other thing usually seen this time of the year.