Willow Neal 🏳️‍🌈

BREAKING: THERE'S ONE POINT IN IT. LABOUR 28% REFORM 27% Fieldwork date: February 2026 Fieldwork source: OPINIUM/BYLINE TIMES Piomoted by holle lodiey on tenor a the loodurroy, ooh 01 22 kush vo h 38eel Locoon, Stiv95

Gorton and Denton by-election result Candidates gaining more than 1% of the vote Party Candidate Change Vote share since 2024 Green Hannah Spencer 41% A +28% Reform UK Matt Goodwin 29% A +15% Labour Angeliki Stogia 26% * -25% Conservative Charlotte Cadden 2%1 • -6% Lib Dem Jackie Pearcey 2%1 -2% Turnout: 47.5%

Yeah?

Are you an relatively new to field ecology and data collection? Or are are you supervising students? Our guide for effective field data collection is now published in @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social! We also include a printable poster with a visual overview of the guide
doi.org/10.1111/2041...

Setup for the NISF talks

Social media interview prep!

NISF

I’ll be doing my talk at @niscifest.bsky.social at 4pm today. A few of my colleagues are here too, with the first speaker starting in 15 mins! Come along if you’re interested. #NISF #NorthernIreland #Ecologi

Come to Hamburg and do a PhD on insect/spider traits with me!

How to turn urban spaces into wildlife havens | NI Science Festival

In a few weeks I’ll be talking about #biodiversity loss, ecological restoration and urban #butterflies including the restoration work we are doing at the @openlivinglabs.bsky.social at the Northern Ireland science festival in Belfast! #NISF.

It’s free! nisciencefestival.com/event/how-to...

Oh, I see haha. They’re just straight up selling plastic food now since it’s unavoidable I guess!

A worrying lunch, max. Was this part of the sandwich or just comes with in glass of water now?

Forest Invertebrates SIG 2026 Submit your abstracts by 5pm today!

LAST CALL 🐞

The #ForestInvertebrates SIG brings together research on trees, invertebrates & urban ecosystems.

📅 5 March
📍 Hyde Park Learning Centre
🌱 Optional field visit on 4 March

Submit your research abstracts by 5pm today (30 Jan) for a chance to join the programme 🔽

Utterly ridiculous. Segregated ponds is a new low. Glad this was stopped.

I love her. James named her “Thing” cos she’s got a tim burton vibe and looks like the Addams family hand haha.

Vitalius chromatus tarantula drinking

Vitalius chromatus drinking from a higher angle to show the red abdomen

I can’t stop buying #tarantulas any time I want… #Vitaliuschromatus. She must have been pretty thirsty!

Share your Research by 30 January Forest Invertebrates Special Interest Group, 4-5 March

From soil to canopy, urban trees support rich invertebrate life 🌿

Join our #ForestInvertebrates SIG on 5 March 2026 for interdisciplinary talks, research case studies & discussion.

📝 Abstracts welcome – Deadline 30 January
🚶 Optional field visit: 4 March

👉

A small spiderling (sling) species Birupes simoroxigorum

A small spiderling (sling) species Dolichothele rufoniger

Buying one new tarantula after a decade really opened the flood gates… unbelievably addictive hobby. Welcome slings of #Birupes simoroxigorum and #Dolichothele rufoniger #tarantula #spider #bugsky. Will stop buying them soon/probably/eventually…

It’s cute! Did you draw this with a pen? It’s great

Increasing Inclusivity in Biological Recording in the United Kingdom: Progress to Date and Future Priorities | Citizen Science: Theory and Practice

Nice to be starting 2026 with our new paper with @sei.org on making #CitizenScience biological recording more inclusive @savebutterflies.bsky.social doi.org/10.5334/cstp...

Love this!

Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens peering over its wet waiting for its prey.

Creeping over the edge waiting for the cricket… I love this #spider, it’s so colourful and active #tarantula #Chromatopelmacyaneopubescens

Sounds so frustrating, I'm sorry to hear that. Keep going, though, I am always so pleased to see other NB people in academia!

I’m pretty much in the same position. I’ve got some temp work for now but nothing long-term on a liveable salary. 200 seems like a lot though, are you looking for ento stuff or just any ecology role?

Hope you find something soon!

Well colour me suprised, turns out no one cares except massive bigots. Who knew. 👇🏻

I get the same joy out of the use of the word “bug” to incorrectly describe insects and spiders. Our PhDs were worth it after all!

A yellow Gorse (Ulex) flower.

Heath and gorse at the New Forest in Dorset.

Had an amazing new years visiting friends in Dorset and playing with a drone out at the New Forest!

A well plate filled with organisms for genetic sequencing. Most of the species pictured are the sap-sucking bug Trioza urticae.

Prepping the December catch for genetic #sequencing. Most of this plate is the bug Trioza urticae, which are found in nettles and we have absolutely loads at the living labs! Interesting to see their numbers grow over the past few weeks— maybe this is the peak? #nature #entomology #genomics #BIOSCAN

I remember one in Plymouth when I lived there in 2009 and pretty sure it was closed then haha.

I loved the garden jungle!

This was such an excellent listen. As someone from a #workingclass background I really related to this!

Book cover for Reproducible Code guide. The cover has a red background with a large yellow-bodied black-headed stag beetle.

Excited to launch the new improved Reproducible Code guide from @britishecologicalsociety.org @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social FREE online here! www.britishecologicalsociety.org//wp-content/... Amazing work by some very talented ECRs. We hope it’s useful!

Tarantula Grammistola pulcripies “sling” (spiderling) eating a wax moth larvae.

New baby Grammistola pulcripies! This is an extremely addictive hobby… #Tarantula #Bugsky

A new world tarantula, Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens with greenish blue legs, a yellow and grey/blue carapace with a distinctive orange abdomen.

After a years of deciding on a second tarantula I finally landed on one I’ve had my eye on for years. Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens. I love them. Hungry all the time and dashed so fast it scared the life out of me. Good fun! #BugSky

This gets published but my manuscript has been with the editor for 2 months 😢