Making time for nature

Puffin photographed on Bempton Cliffs

Before we all had digital watches and mobile phones, there were easy ways to tell the time – by looking out for signs of nature. In June, new chicks are encouraged out of their nests for the first time early in the morning.
Later in the day, if you can see the flowers of Jack-Go-To-Bed-At-Noon, aka Goat's Beard, it will have to be before lunch time – as its name tells you. Regardless of the weather, these members of the dandelion family always close by midday. If however, you see the blooms of Scarlet Pimpernel closing, it must be just approaching afternoon tea because these flowers finally close for the day around 3pm, come rain or shine. As both these plants can be quite invasive, they have never really caught on as a viable timepiece, but they are quite common around the city on waste ground and gardens.
Early June is the best time to take the short trip to Bempton Cliffs when you'll be rewarded with stunning views of the cliffs and one of Britain's best loved seabirds – the puffin.
Their comical looks are at their best as their brightly coloured beaks are in peak condition. Later this year, the beak's bright casings are shed and replaced by less alluring yellow bills.
After your day out, you'll know it's bedtime when a nightjar gives its spine-tingling, churring call somewhere off in the distance over the heathland.