Disparitions
It seems to me that, in the past, there were more locusts and crickets, more pollinating insects, more butterflies and more birds. That's just an impression. It's not the first year I've made this observation. This year, I didn't hear any crickets, I didn't see a single cricket, I didn't see a single beetle. I didn't see any goldfinches or even finches. It's possible that the presence of two cats deters them from frequenting the site. I didn't see any hedgehogs after dark, but I know that the neighbors have them in their gardens. I haven't seen any rabbits, but I have seen hares. There are blackbirds, tits, sparrows, turtledoves and wood pigeons, jays, thrushes, and I've seen a green woodpecker. There are, of course, bees and bumblebees and a few butterflies, but not in the numbers that there used to be. Maybe it's because there aren't many flowers and there's no clover or alfalfa because of the drought. The grass is yellow, but not everywhere. In the meadow where we let it grow, it's still light green, not completely burnt out. It's forbidden to water the vegetable garden between 9am and 8pm. As well as the vegetable garden, I water a few potted flowers, although this is forbidden, but it doesn't use much water. We fill water troughs in several places, for the wildlife. During the day, it's just for the birds, but at night, I'm sure that lots of mammals come to drink. Most wild mammals are nocturnal. Or they only come out of the woods at night. It's over 30° in the shade every day during the day, and the sun is beating down.