We are at the end of the month which means it’s time for April wildlife to spot in the UK! I really enjoyed writing the one for March and I received really positive feedback, so it’s great that you are loving it too. In March I saw a couple of Brimstone butterflies and a peacock, along with a variety of birds and even bumblebees. This month there should be even more wildlife to spot as they awaken further with the flowers coming out.
Cover photo by Alpine Light on Unsplash
Garden birds
House Martin (Delichon urbicum)
A House Martin is a small bird with bluish-black upperparts, white underparts, rump and feathers. It will spend the majority of its time searching for insects to prey on. After spending their winters in warmer countries, they are beginning to migrate to the UK as the temperature warms. You can find House Martins in farmlands, wetlands, suburban and urban habitats.
Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
The Swallow is a small bird with a dark blue back, a red throat, pale underparts and a long tail. They spend most of their time in flight, hence the agile long tail. They are migrant birds which means that they fly south for the cold UK winters and then spend the rest of their time in the UK. As the UK becomes warmer, migrant birds start to fly over ready for the breeding season to begin. Swallows eat a range of small invertebrates whilst flying and are found in grassland, wetland, farmland, upland, urban and suburban habitats.
Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)
A Willow Warbler looks very similar to a Chiffchaff, as they are small greyish-green backs and cream underparts. It has a yellowish throat, chest and stripe above the eye. The Chiffchaff has a slightly darker chest and their song is much different. Their diet consists of a variety of insects and spiders, along with fruit and berries in the autumn. They are found in woodland, grassland, heathland, urban and suburban habitats.
Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)
The image above is a male Redstart.
Male Redstarts have grey upper parts, black wings and face, orange chest and rump, along with their striking reddish-orange tails. Female and young Redstarts are browner in colour, with a cream chest but still the reddish-orange tail. They don’t spend much time on the ground, with their favourite places being in oak woodlands and hedgerows. Their diet consists mainly of insects, in particular spiders and worms, as well as berries.
Other garden birds found in April:
- Blue Tit
- Great Tit
- Cuckoo
- Robin
- Blackcap
- Willow Warbler
Butterflies
Large white (Pieris brassicae)
The Large White is a common butterfly and one that is easy to identify. It is also known as a Cabbage White (as is the Small White) because it often flies over cabbage patches on allotments! The females are recognised by their two black dots and dash on each wing.
Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)
The Holly Blue butterfly looks very similar to the Common Blue, but Holly Blue has a pale blue underside with small black dots, as the image above shows. It is the first blue butterfly to emerge in the spring, which makes it slightly easier to identify! The holly plant is its favourite, hence it’s favourite, so you might find them gathering there.
Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
The Speckled Wood butterfly’s appearance changes from north to south which has led to an increase in subspecies – pretty cool, right?! It is found mainly in woodlands, shrub areas, hedgerows and slightly damp areas with some shade. They prefer to feed on the honeydew in trees and are rarely seen feeding on flowers.
Flowers
As we get further into the spring months, more and more flowers are coming into bloom! Such a beautiful time of year.
Tulips (Tulipa)
Nothing says spring like a tulip does! You have probably noticed on my Instagram that I absolutely LOVE tulips, they instantly brighten up a room. There are so many different kinds of tulips, from the ones we see all the time to the parrot and fringed ones.
Forget-Me-Nots (Myosotis arvensis)
Forget-Me-Nots are such beautiful flowers, though are commonly an arable weed! They best grow on cultivated land, roadsides, waste grounds and dunes.
Garden Anemones (Anemone coronaria)
Garden Anemones are poppy-like flowers normally pink, red, white or purplish-blue in colour. These flowers are stunning and attract plenty of butterflies alongside them! They are typically seen in late April, May and June.
What April wildlife are you looking forward to seeing?
Best wishes, Cx
Very interesting post! Beautiful photos!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Abdel | Infinitely Posh.
Thank you
My next door neighbour has just planted loads of tulips in his front garden, with pansies and daffidils and it’s so pretty. It really makes me smile when I leave the house! I can’t wait to see all the butterflies now it’s getting into Spring!
Aw amazing!
I love Tulips, it’s always so nice seeing them again every Spring. This post has also made me realise that I need to get to more rural areas too, as I feel like I only ever see Pigeons and no other kinds of birds haha
What a great post – I love that you’re encouraging people to take notice of nature!
Thank you ☺🌷
Me too! Aw haha x
Beautiful photos! I love birds, and your bird photos are stunning!
I love birds too 🙂
April is such a wonderful month for wildlife, I really like seeing all the birds, flowers and wildlife, I need to keep a look out for them now 🙂
Definitely x
I am looking forward to seeing more wildlife in April! I’ve already seen a few butterflies, which perked me up.
It is pretty cool that the appearance of the Speckled Wood Butterfly changed from north to south. I love watching the flowers bloom, as it feels like a different walk each time I go out and wander around the local park. More and more flowers are starting to appear, along with trees gaining leaves again as well.
Thank you for sharing. 😊🌻🌼
Yes, I love seeing butterflies too – an instant mood booster!
Love this! Tulips always signify the beginning of spring and brighter days for me and I find swallows fascinating. The Speckled Wood is always in my garden this time of year but I never knew about the appearance changes – that’s so cool! Thanks for sharing x
Me too! That sounds so lovely x
These are some really lovely wildlife to look out for when enjoying nature! Thank you for sharing your suggestions Caroline. I hope April is a great month for you!
Lauren x
Thank you, you too x
Beautiful! I’m not sure if I have seen any of these birds in the US. This was a fun post to read because I learned some new things.
I’m glad x
I am so excited for it to be spring! I am looking forward to seeing all the butterflies & also all the different flowers blooming.
Me too x
Interesting info! I love when the wildlife emerges in Spring.
Me too
This must be one of my favorite posts lately! I love everything about local fauna and flora, even if the “local” part is not from where I live 🙂 It’s so good to see the specifics of our own locations observed, appreciated and celebrated <3
Thank you so much! x
I love spring, can’t wait to see the butterflies start to appear 🙂
Me too x
This post is so informative regarding the different species in wildlife. I’m personally attracted to the flower Forget-Me-Nots. I haven’t heard of this until now. Forget Me Not is actually the english translation of the one of the most famous novels written by Jose Rizal (our Philippine National Hero) called “Noli Me Tangere.” Just a fun fact haha
Oh wow, that’s very cool! x
Thank you so much for sharing. I absolutely love looking at wildlife when I go out. So many different types of birds, butterflies and flowers to find.
Clem x
https://www.clemloves.co.uk
Me too x
I’ve started spotting a few butterflies on my way to work and it makes me so so ready for spring! Now if only the sunshine could come back too x
I agree!
I love seeing birds in my garden so I will keep a lookout for these ones in April x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Let me know if you see any x
The birds are so cute!
Agreed