Yahoo News Year in Review 2012: British wildlife
1/7March: Supposedly extinct large tortoiseshell butterflies were seen at Newtown on the Isle of Wight. Badgers (pictured) struggled to find food in dry soil, as much of England was gripped by drought and the month became the third warmest and fifth driest March on record (Rex Features)
March: Supposedly extinct large tortoiseshell butterflies were seen at Newtown on the Isle of Wight. Badgers struggled to find food in dry soil, as much of England was gripped by drought and the month became the third warmest and fifth driest March on record (Rex Features)![May: There was widespread failure of spring fruit blossom such as apple as a result of the wet weather. Cuckoos failed to breed at the National Trust nature reserve at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire, for the first time, but a very rare cream-coloured courser (pictured) was spotted at Bradnor Hill, Herefordshire, to the delight of twitchers (Rex Features)]()
2/7May: There was widespread failure of spring fruit blossom such as apple as a result of the wet weather. Cuckoos failed to breed at the National Trust nature reserve at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire, for the first time, but a very rare cream-coloured courser (pictured) was spotted at Bradnor Hill, Herefordshire, to the delight of twitchers (Rex Features)
May: There was widespread failure of spring fruit blossom such as apple as a result of the wet weather. Cuckoos failed to breed at the National Trust nature reserve at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire, for the first time, but a very rare cream-coloured courser (pictured) was spotted at Bradnor Hill, Herefordshire, to the delight of twitchers (Rex Features)![June: This month saw spectacular orchid displays, especially of bee orchids (pictured), in many places, while hundreds of fly orchids appeared on Dunstable Downs. Large blue butterflies emerged in good numbers and laid record eggs at Collard Hill in Somerset. There was great breeding success for little terns at Blakeney Point, Norfolk, though terns at Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland, failed to breed (Rex Features)]()
3/7June: This month saw spectacular orchid displays, especially of bee orchids (pictured), in many places, while hundreds of fly orchids appeared on Dunstable Downs. Large blue butterflies emerged in good numbers and laid record eggs at Collard Hill in Somerset. There was great breeding success for sandwich and little terns at Blakeney Point, Norfolk, though terns at Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland, failed to breed (Rex Features)
June: This month saw spectacular orchid displays, especially of bee orchids (pictured), in many places, while hundreds of fly orchids appeared on Dunstable Downs. Large blue butterflies emerged in good numbers and laid record eggs at Collard Hill in Somerset. There was great breeding success for little terns at Blakeney Point, Norfolk, though terns at Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland, failed to breed (Rex Features)![July: The arrival of Spanish super-killer slugs was reported. More than 10,000 pyramidal orchids flowered at Sharpenhoe Clappers, North Chilterns. It was also a good year for dragonflies (Image Broker/Rex Features)]()
4/7July: The arrival of Spanish super-killer slugs was reported. More than 10,000 pyramidal orchids flowered at Sharpenhoe Clappers, North Chilterns. It was also a good year for dragonflies (Image Broker/Rex Features)
July: The arrival of Spanish super-killer slugs was reported. More than 10,000 pyramidal orchids flowered at Sharpenhoe Clappers, North Chilterns. It was also a good year for dragonflies (Image Broker/Rex Features)![August: There were very low numbers of wasps, and it was also a bad summer for beekeepers. Swifts (pictured) departed for Africa after a very poor breeding season (Rex Features)]()
5/7August: There were very low numbers of wasps, and it was also a bad summer for beekeepers. Swifts (pictured) departed for Africa after a very poor breeding season (Rex Features)
August: There were very low numbers of wasps, and it was also a bad summer for beekeepers. Swifts (pictured) departed for Africa after a very poor breeding season (Rex Features)![October: There was a massive landfall of thrushes from Scandinavia at sites on the east coast on the 22nd, while pheasant bins (pictured) were emptying faster than normal, targeted by unusually hungry birds, mice and other mammals. The season also saw excellent autumn colours (Rex Features)]()
6/7October: There was a massive landfall of thrushes from Scandinavia at sites on the east coast on the 22nd, while pheasant bins (pictured) were emptying faster than normal, targeted by unusually hungry birds, mice and other mammals. The season also saw excellent autumn colours (Rex Features)
October: There was a massive landfall of thrushes from Scandinavia at sites on the east coast on the 22nd, while pheasant bins (pictured) were emptying faster than normal, targeted by unusually hungry birds, mice and other mammals. The season also saw excellent autumn colours (Rex Features)![December: It was a very poor year overall for holly berries because of the wet spring, but there was a reasonable crop in northern areas and on high ground, where trees flowered later, catching the spell of fine weather in late May. It has also been a great winter for normally rare migrant bird the waxwing (Rex Features)]()
7/7December: It was a very poor year overall for holly berries because of the wet spring, but there was a reasonable crop in northern areas and on high ground, where trees flowered later, catching the spell of fine weather in late May. It has also been a great winter for normally rare migrant bird the waxwing (Rex Features)
December: It was a very poor year overall for holly berries because of the wet spring, but there was a reasonable crop in northern areas and on high ground, where trees flowered later, catching the spell of fine weather in late May. It has also been a great winter for normally rare migrant bird the waxwing (Rex Features)
