July 2026
Single logs from this month:
The extreme weather shifts continued until the end of the month, with drastic consequences for many insects.
Species that already were seen in June and returned:
- Aglais urticae
- Aphantopus hyperantus
- Araschnia levana
- Celastrina argiolus
- Coenonympha pamphilus
- Cupido minimus
- Maniola jurtina
- Melanargia galathea
- Pieris brassicae
- Pieris napi
- Pieris rapae
- Polyommatus icarus
- Thymelicus sylvestris
- Vanessa atalanta
- Vanessa cardui
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- Calopteryx splendens
- Coenagrion mercuriale
Species that were last seen in May and returned:
- Aglais io
- Polyommatus bellargus
Species making their first appearances:
- Aeshna cyanea
- Calopteryx virgo
- Enallagma cyathigerum
Quite shockingly, every relative of T. sylvestris did not make an appearance – neither the wet-loving T. lineola, nor the "drought enjoyer" T. acteon. The less demanding O. sylvanus also marks its first absence. Taking into account that the once-improving A. paphia suddenly vanished entirely in 2025, there's little hope for P. cordion which has been declining noticeably since 2024.
Many species saw rather short seasons, including M. galathea which disappeared after roughly two weeks. The only species entirely unimpressed by the current weather shifts is C. minimus, the only species remaining relatively stable. Any other insects, such as moths, bees and wasps, also are rare.
The vegetation either resembles a monoculture or died during the June heat wave, in return resembling harvested wheat fields. There's little variety in terms of nectar plants, with the only plant still attracting insects being alfalfa. This summer is likely to become the second-worst since the 2022 drought.
Speaking of extreme weather: This weather stresses my body which already has been stressed due to the behavior of local NGO's. I decided to formally end my hobbiyst research by the end of this season, with the 2026 summary set to be the final summary and addition to this sub-capsule. The full announcement can be read here, though it should be mentioned that with climate change and human behavior worsening, my pollen allergy also continues to get worse alongside my overall health which already gave me a kidney stone due to dehydrating during the field trips in June, 2024 – even if I wanted to continue, I can't:
2026-07-06 - Zone II, NGO's and why I quit
/oblog/