“The burdock, teasel, thistles and seed of the plane tree make excellent bird food. At the moment these plants are still growing, but if we revisit them a little later into summer, they will tell us what weather lies ahead.

“The seeds of these plants are excellent indicators of what weather is to come – as if the weather is to become wet, the seeds will naturally grow higher, raise themselves away from the damp ground and become easier pickings for hungry birds. If the weather is to remain temperate, there is no need for the plants to grow so far away from the ground, and so they will be shorter.

“This year we can tell it will remain warmer for longer as these plants are not growing large, and that many flowers – such as the Lily of the Valley – have not appeared yet. At the Helston Festival two weeks ago, they actually had to use plastic substitutes as the Lily of the Valley had not yet sprung – bad news for the dancers, but good news for lovers of September summers!”