Coarse Woody Debris is an important invertebrate habitat. Actions like this will likely support interesting flies and you can now use this book 👇 to help ID what you see.
Or commission an applied entomologist to see what is there…
Look what has arrived in the post today!
@rdimond.bsky.social
A flavor-blasted potato, like a gallstone from Satan's own bowels, sits atop the worst bag of Herr's Kettle Chips ever dispersed for public consumption.
Got my first bag of potato chips in months. Cracked it open. The first chip out of the bag was... soggy?
The second chip was almost fungal.
Baffled, I explored the bag and discovered AN ENTIRE POTATO. Unsliced, brined, like a wad of seasoning juice. It had survived, and now was juicing the chips.
You muscid in quick as they’ll fly off the shelves. Don’t tachinid my word for it.
@robyaxley.bsky.social
@flygirlnhm.bsky.social
@rdimond.bsky.social
Was it wall-to-wall imagery?
Interesting you mention this. Ten years ago, I’d routinely find earwigs on many sites when surveying. Feels like they’ve declined as my impression has been that fewer fall into net when beating/ sweeping vegetation in fewer sites.
You should have seen the Australians.
Constantly sledging.
Yes. And a chilly mid-off.
I tried playing cricket this way, once. Kept bowling snow balls.
#DadJoke
A longshot, but I've a common British money-spider (Oedothorax fuscus) with two mites (Acari) attached to its abdomen; I assume phoresy.
Anyone that IDs British mites interested in receiving specimen?
@britishspiders.bsky.social @arnoldtortoise.bsky.social @nhm-london.bsky.social
Sunday book review: Pan-species Listing by @graemelyons.bsky.social
Publisher: @pelagic.bsky.social
Review: markavery.info/2026/01/04/s...
"Hardly anyone has the knowledge to write this book & even fewer could write it so well!"
How did you measure the intelligence quotient of Nostoc? #thickest
By asking it to play an algal rhythm?
#WorseThanAChristmasCrackerJoke
Certainly is D. dorsata.
@britishspiders.bsky.social
Land registry is the only source I am aware of which would be definitive but go on the the Local Authority’s planning portal and you might find planning application(s) associated with the plot. This might provide a lead.
Huge thanks to @markavery.bsky.social for writing a lovely review of my recently published book on the #spiders and #harvestmen of #Yorkshire:
markavery.info/2025/11/16/s...
Available to buy: www.naturebureau.co.uk/spiders-harv...
And a big thanks to @timothyjonas.bsky.social who provided plenty of absolutely stunning photos. They take the book from being ’just’ a data-rich Atlas with lots of lovely maps to an aesthetically stunning compendium of Yorkshire arachnids.
Wow. That’s possibly as many specimens as have ever been recorded since William Falconer pootered the type specimens up in 1909.
#Arachtober is a good month to remind folk my book #SpidersAndHarvestmenOfYorkshire by @naturebureau.bsky.social ought to be available to purchase by the end of the month.
It’s not too late to get a pre-publication offer here: www.naturebureau.co.uk/spiders-harv...
@britishspiders.bsky.social
Looks like a fab time was had and Storm Amy failed to blow too many literal cobwebs away.
I am hoping spider species-richness exceeds French cheese species-richness. But this is not guaranteed.
If you have people who might be alarmed by today's alert test at 3 pm, you might want to check they know it's happening today at 3 pm. Just rang mum and she didn't.
Thanks, and good point. Just rung my Mum to check. She did know, but has forgotten. And is now reassured.
Here inlies the problem when creating vernacular names. Given rapid changes in insect distributions, geographic reference will rapidly outdate and in this example, the obvious name is already taken.
Could be the Orange Ten-spotted, to separate from Adalia 10-guttata? Avoids reference to habitat.
Are there any British/ French entomologists who would be interested in Coleoptera and/ or Hemiptera I could collect in return for a species list?
Y a-t-il des entomologistes français qui seraient intéressés par Coleoptera et/ou Hemiptera que je pourrais collecter en échange d'une liste d'espèces?
I don’t post much on here but when I do, it’s really important.
Am pleased & v much looking forward to returning to the sublime Moulin de Pensol (France) hosted by @heidi-lemoulin.bsky.social & Nik, in May 2026 to see how many #spiders, other invertebrates & cheeses I can record.
#AsYouWere
Just checked NBN: just 72 sawfly records on Orkney, ever @andymus.bsky.social @naturespotter.bsky.social ! My half dozen specimens thus almost represent 10% of the entire database if NBN is accurate!
Shows what a tiny bit of effort can achieve in these places.
2/2 Should be some good records of spiders as less than annual data for this archipelago: Stronsay had 0 records. I assume similar for other invertebrate groups?
Blessed with amazing dry and sunny weather for two weeks but v warm for islands.
1/ Sorted samples collected from Orkney: Mainland, Shapinsay, Sanday, Hoy, S.Walls, Burray, S.Ronaldsay & Stronsay.
c.30 samples (beetles, bugs, woodlice, sawflies plus lots of spiders & harvestmen).
@britishspiders.bsky.social @britishbugs.bsky.social
@andymus.bsky.social
@colsocbi.bsky.social
