Dry weather has taken its toll at Landguard reserve

Staff at Landguard Nature Reserve are worried about the detrimental effect the summer conditions are having on plant life and wildlife.

The lack of rain in the last month has left the ground brown and the wildlife suffering.

Sarah Wynne, the ranger at the reserve, said rabbits and birds were now scarce as well as certain plants.

She said: “The rabbits will suffer because the grasses are suffering – they will start dying off normally and will stop having babies because there is no food for them to eat.

“Last time, we lost a lot of rabbits.”

She added that there had been sightings of dead blackbird fledglings, which were found with no fat on them because of the lack of food.

Landguard is the second driest area of the country – behind St Osyth in Essex – and Miss Wynne added that the plant life there had grown to adapt to the conditions and can survive with minimal water.

However, Miss Wynne admitted that she is concerned about how dry the last month has been and the detrimental effect it could have on the reserve.

She said: “It’s a worry. I would rather it rain at least a little bit, but I don’t want lots of rain because the reality of a site like this is that it survives through less rain.”

Miss Wynne added that if the warm weather does continue – which it is expected to – some areas of the popular spot will have to be cordoned off to avoid damaging plants on the ground when people walk over it.

The area is normally filled with moss and long grasses at this time of the year and the staff at Landguard are hopeful that when the rain returns the area will recover quite quickly.

Miss Wynne said: “Because of the area we’re in, the plants have grown to adapt to these kinds of conditions so I’m hopeful they will be back.”

n Are you worried about how the weather will affect your garden? Write to Your Letters, The Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail to eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk