Total monthly rainfall: 36.5 millimetres. Maximum daily rainfall: 26 millimetres (20^th July). Measurable rain fell on only six days of the month, resulting in a drop in pond-water levels to 40 centimetres below maximum. There were only 8 days when cloud-cover reached 100% during part of the day. Maximum temperature on the warmest day was 35°C on the 25^th, and on the coldest day was 18°C on the 27^th. Strong winds on the 30^th-31^st removed many small branches, twigs and green leaves from the trees.

Seven new wildflower species this month bring our total for the year to 61, starting with great willowherb on the 3^rd, then ragwort on the 10^th. On the 11^th, the first fleabane blooms appeared, before stone parsley on the 12^th. Water mint flowered by the lake on the 17^th, and the invasive bristly ox-tongue on the 19^th. Finally, on an end-of-month check, we discovered several red bartsia in well advanced flowering on the 31^st.

• Common carpet moth Common carpet moth
• Edge of wildflower meadow Edge of wildflower meadow
• Pregnant common lizard Pregnant common lizard
• Rosy footman moth Rosy footman moth
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With 21 species of butterfly already seen before the month began, the silver washed fritillary on July 4^th among woodland honeysuckle, and the purple hairstreak fluttering between the mid-tier leaves of an ash tree along the woodland edge on the 10^th brought our tally to 23 species.

On the whole, it was a good month for moths, producing 11 species we could identify, some with the help of moth enthusiast, Keith Palmer. We saw six-spot burnet among grasses on the 7^th, while on the 8th we found a large pale oak beauty on the trunk of an oak tree in the wood.  A shaded broad bar nestled among vegetation in the woodland ride on the 11^th, and on the following day (12^th) a grass-veneer moth appeared on the roof-light window in our bathroom. On July 16^th a blood-vein moth was found among lake-side vegetation, and on the 18^th we spotted a yellow-tail moth on an elder bush near the back woodland pond. The warm days and nights encouraged four of the remaining five moths to light during the evening – these being a micro-moth Udea prunalis (23^rd), common footman (24^th), and common carpet moth (26^th) to a lighted porch, and a copper underwing (25^th) beside the stair roof-light window. The fifth was a rosy footman moth on the lawn beside a garden privet on the 26^th. We now have 35 moth-species on record for the year so far.

Six species of dragonfly have been recorded here this month, bringing our species total to 17 for the present year. Common and ruddy darters emerged on the 1^st - the common darter at the lake, and ruddy darter at the back woodland pond. On July 5^th we found a brown hawker flying round the lake. On the 10^th discovered what we believed to be a migrant hawker exuvia (larval skin) on a reed mace at our back pond. The hawker had emerged and left it behind before flying off.  Later, when Gill Brook checked all the exuviae we had collected, she informed us that it was a Southern migrant hawker - a new species for us and a rare sighting for this part of Kent. An emerald damselfly appeared among lake-side rushes on the 11^th, and a southern hawker patrolled around the front woodland pond on July 25^th. We have yet to see the migrant hawker or the willow emerald.

We have three final records for the month. A pregnant common lizard posed among pond plants on 10^th July. Gill Brook discovered a red-legged shield bug when she and John visited us on the 18^th to return our exuviae, and our first ripe blackberries appeared on July 26^th.