Though many people are out enjoying the unusually hot weather in the UK, it is having an effect on our wildlife. Animals need to keep cool too – the RSPB have warned that birds and hedgehogs could be struggling in the high temperatures and are now asking people to put out fresh water for them.
Even Green Bay's wildlife are having a tough time beating the heat. Found a deer trying cooling off in the water pic.twitter.com/rGVWOwHDAi
— Lukas Keapproth (@lkeapproth) July 16, 2013
#Petworthhour doing my bit helping the #wildlife in this heat at night! Leaving out bowls of water is a huge help! pic.twitter.com/MMWT21jZVP
— Dan Smith (@PetworthPhoto) July 16, 2013
The sunny weather is good news for some creatures though; around the country there are reported rises in numbers of butterflies, dragonflies and bumblebees.
We'd like to see your pictures and videos of wildlife near you that is being affected by the heat. Whether it's an animal trying to keep cool, a swarm of bumblebees that have moved into your garden or sightings of dragonflies or butterflies. You can share your content by clicking on the blue contribute buttons or via the GuardianWitness phone app, if you happen to be out and about.
We're hoping to select some of your pictures for a piece on the Guardian site on Friday and the newspaper on Saturday.
- GuardianWitness is the home of user-generated content on the Guardian. Contribute your video, pictures and stories, and browse news, reviews and creations submitted by others. Posts will be reviewed prior to publication on GuardianWitness, and the best pieces will feature on the Guardian site.
