Total monthly rainfall: 3.5 millimetres, maximum daily rainfall: 3 millimetres (11^th April).

Rain fell on two days of the month and there were 11 days with 100% cloud cover for at least part of the day.

Maximum temperature on the warmest days was 16°C on the 20^th and 24^th. Maximum temperature on the coldest day was 8°C on the 7^th April.

Winds blew from a north-easterly or north-westerly direction for 24 days of the month, and there were 7 days when we had an overnight grass frost and a further 6 with a strong wind-chill.

 On Sunday 20th June, Kent Field Club held it's first field meeting since 2019 at Walderslade Woods. Led by Rob Burrows of Walderslade Woodlands Group, twelve members explored this 5 hectare site of woodlands and glades, consisting of a series of plateaus created by spoil from the construction of the M2 in the 1960s. Ground conditions were, it's fair to say, a bit damp and not ideal for the entomologists among us, though bumblebees were abundant and making use of the many orchids and other flowers in the glades. However, things had dried out a bit by lunch time and everyone got to see individuals of the long-horned bee Eucera longicornis.

The Blean Re-Wetting is a Green Recovery Challenge Fund (GCRF) project, delivered by a partnership of RSPB, Kent Wildlife Trust and Councils across the Blean Woods complex. This year-long project will see the implementation of natural flood management techniques to increase the amount of water in the woods. From heavy-duty earthen banks to small scale leaky dams; staff, contractors and volunteers will carry out a range of interventions to slow the flow of water through the woods, encourage the formation of meanders and reinstate flood plains.

The purpose of this project is twofold – combatting the effects of climate change and tackling the biodiversity crisis. Kent is on the frontline when it comes to feeling the effects of a warming climate, and increased moisture retention will fortify the woods against aridification. At the same time, wetter soil will support greater and more diverse populations of invertebrates and it is hoped that this will in turn benefit other wildlife.

 While nature-based solutions like this are becoming increasingly common, there is little data on the benefits it can bring to wildlife.  The project team consider it a high priority to gather as much robust data as possible on changes in soil moisture, invertebrates, and any other potential beneficiary. Not only will this be an important measure of the project’s outcomes, clear evidence of benefits to wildlife will also support the case for similar projects elsewhere.

The team are seeking volunteers with some level of ecology expertise to inform and assist with this monitoring, with a high priority on gathering baseline data prior to work commencing in September 2021.. Monitoring will continue until the project completion in March 2022 and beyond. Please get in touch if you are interested or if you have any questions. Email 

 Furthermore if you would like to receive updates regarding project events or volunteer work parties, please contact  and they can add you to the appropriate mailing list (we send a maximum one email a week).

Total monthly rainfall: 55.5 millimetres. Maximum daily rainfall: 18 millimetres (4^th March).

Rain fell on eleven days of the month, and there were 20 days with 100% cloud cover for at least part of the day.

Maximum temperature on the warmest days was 23°C on March 30^th and 31^st. Maximum temperature on the coldest days was 7°C on 4^th and 5^th March. An unpleasant wind-chill occurred on the five days from the 7^th to 12^th March.

Total monthly rainfall: 54.5 millimetres. Maximum daily rainfall: 13 millimetres (7^th February).

This fell as snow between the 7^th and 10^th, and there was 100% cloud cover for 17 days for at least part of each day.

Maximum temperature on the warmest days was 15°C on the 23^rd,24^th, and 25^th. Maximum temperature on the coldest days was 0°C on the 8^th,9^th,10^th, 11^th, 12^th, and 13^th with overnight frost from the 7^th to 14^th when all ponds were partly or wholly frozen.