AS would seem to always be the case, the school holidays start and so does the bad weather.

While this is bad news for both children and their parents, the wet weather has provided a much-needed reprieve for wildlife, which would certainly have been suffering if the dry, hot conditions of the middle of July had persisted much longer.

I quite enjoy a walk in the summer rain. There are always fewer people out on the reserves and it is nice to have that feeling of solitude and calm that this brings.

Also the moist air picks up many of the deep rich smells of the wood, which is also very nice.

The reserves are also strangely quiet with just the rhythmic patter of the rain and the swish of leaves in the breeze. This is due to there being very little animal wildlife out and about on these days.

Unlike us humans, who can wrap ourselves up in fancy waterproof jackets and return to the warmth and dry of our houses where we can wash, change into dry clothes and make ourselves a warm drink when we are wet, animals just have to go and find what shelter they can where they can.

Hardly surprising then that once an animal has found a refuge from the worst of the weather, it remains there till the weather has cleared.

One type of animal badly affected by long periods of wet weather is the butterflies.

Butterflies emerge from their chrysalises with the single aim of finding a mate and laying their eggs to ensure the survival of future generations.

Butterflies have fantastically beautiful wings but these are relatively fragile and the butterflies depend on these wings for their very life.

Rain and wind can easily damage their wings and hence the butterflies hide away trying to protect these but every minute they are under constant pressure of perdition.

So if you are out in the rain, particularly in the flowery meadows, heaths, marshes or along woodland rides, if there is a break in the weather for even for the briefest of times and you feel the warm of the sun on your face the place seems to come alive with butterflies "dancing" from flower to flower as they make the most of any time they have.

As soon as the clouds return, they all just seem to fade back into the undergrowth.

This year Habberley Valley has one again be graced by the presence of the white admiral butterfly which I have now seen on a couple occasions during sunny spells flying over the bramble patches under Ridgestone rock and in the woods at the rear of the visitors centre.