Just checked my notes from the presentations, unfortunately I didn't make note of many of the variations, but recall some were using different foodplants to their Southern counterparts e.g. Powdered Quaker on Bog Myrtle giving rise to a reddish form.
Ah I see, thanks. I was wondering if it was the usual form up there.. I saw a series of zoom presentations a while ago by Phil Stirling who pointed out the incredible differences between Scottish and English forms of several moth species.
That's an interesting looking one, much darker than the ones I usually see down here in Bedfordshire.
It's tomorrow! Join us for a family friendly invertebrate fair with a range of talks, activities and exhibitions!
A large black beetle clinging to an Arum leaf. There are hints of purple around the legs and antennae, and the surface of its exoskeleton bears a series of deep punctures.
A large black beetle resting on the back of a hand.
Amazed to stumble across this Oil-beetle yesterday, something I rarely encounter. I'm leaning towards Black Oil-beetle as opposed to Violet as the rear margin of the (squarish) thorax appears relatively straight, but I'd welcome other's opinions.. #coleoptera
In my experience both Common and Scarce Footman larvae seem to be quite active in late winter/early spring, I often encounter them on walls, fences, trees etc during mild spells.
A positive week for #Wildflowerhour with several new-for-the-year things. Surprised and chuffed to find a patch of Moschatel just opening up. Viola odorata var.dumetorum and both Lesser and Greater Periwinkle.
Does anyone know if The beetles of Britain and Ireland volume 4 by Duff will be reprinted? It seems unobtainable at present
Nice! Not seen any yet this year but fairly common in my bit of Bedfordshire, I find it hard to pass by a patch of Daffs without having a quick look for them. Pretty sure I've submitted records in the past but will make sure I pop this year's sightings on iRecord to get the map more up to date.
*and , not 'anyone'!
That's great, glad it's arrived okay. Thanks for letting me know anyone thanks for taking a look it's very much appreciated. :)
Aha! I thought it looked familiar :)
Amazing tree, good to see it's still doing ok :)
Is that Holkhan by any chance?
Some thoughts on birding content online and how old guys like me could or should respond to it. Thank you again for reading any if this stuff! #ukbirding #birds
Thanks! That's great, I'll get them over to you soon then. :)
Thanks, I thought you might be interested, I wasn't sure if you had seen my original post from January.
I was wondering if I posted it to you would you be able to take a look and see if it can be taken to species level? Or if you know of anyone who might be able to?
@vc30moths.bsky.social
I'm amazed at how small she is considering the size of the case!
A brown-headed larva in a protective case made up of fragments of organic matter climbing up a wooden fence.
A measuring tape held against the larval case, reading 9mm.
The larval case with an empty shiny brown pupal exuvia protruding from one end.
A pair of tweezers holding a small fragment of lichen. On the end of the fragment is a tiny grey wingless female moth, ovipositing into the lichen.
On 19/01/26 I found a larval case on a fence. It appeared to be a Dahlica species, one of the Bagworm Moths. In order to confirm the identity the pupal exuvia needs to be closely examined, so I retained it to rear it through. Last night the wingless, grub-like adult female emerged. VC30 #teammoth
A close up photo of a Globular Springtail on pale, fine-woven fabric. It has a series of dark markings including a rounded patch to the rear. The patch is made up of a series of stripes, making it Dicyrtoma saundersi.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles to get crisp photos of Springtails, thanks for the reassuring post! Here's my effort of what I think is Dicyrtoma saundersi, on the laptop screen the bars of the abdominal mark are just about visible..
Green Leaf-hopper, Cicadella viridis. Male left, female right.
Leafhoppers & Allies: identification, ecology and recording - Alan Stewart
Thursday 19/02/2026, 19:30, online via Zoom
Book here: www.naturespot.org/node/262956
#Bugs #Hemiptera #VC55 #Auchenorrhyncha
Please share!
Fingers crossed you get some decent views then, and some photos obviously!
Thanks Annie, I had a suspicion it might be a Nymphalid pupa at the time and your suggestion prompted me to do a bit of research. I now think it could be a Red Admiral. I seem to recall there was a big patch of nettles there last year so the larva probably didn't wander far.
That's high on my wishlist too, surely one of the most iconic British invert species.
Good luck :)
A few things of interest on a garden fence today. 5 Orchesella cincta Springtails, Scarce Footman larva, Luffia lapidella case and a large, presumably parasitised, pupa. I've no idea what species it once housed, but it was impressive nonetheless, having the appearance of burnished metal. VC30
Bishopthorpe Parish Council want to sell a small wildlife oasis hosting rare wildflowers like Yellow Star-of-Bethlehem to a developer. This field belongs to the people of Bish who cherish its wildlife. Please sign this petition to stop them doing this. Thanks π c.org/syGKBRcGBY
Minotaur Beetle (Typhaeus typhoeus) was a nice find under the street light this morning here in Bedfordshire VC30
Cheers Paul, I actually remember seeing your post at the time. Glad you managed to get an ID. The cases are definitely similar, lots of organic debris attached and appears to be similar proportions. Hopefully I can rear it through to confirm what it is. Fascinating family of moths!
Tears of joy! SCOTLAND HAS JUST PASSED SWIFT BRICKS INTO LAW unanimously!
4 years of asking England & Scotland sorts it in a month led by ACE β¦βͺ MARK RUSKELL MSPβ¬β© β₯οΈThe RELIEF is unreal! Tell England to follow π΄σ §σ ’σ ³σ £σ ΄σ Ώby emailing PlanningPolicyConsultation@communities.gov.uk now!WOOP!
marsh tit, www.garthpeacock.co.uk
Very pleased to share #OpenAccess paper, which we think is important to understand woodland bird declines and impact of forestry on native ancient woodland in Britain.
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... #ornithology @ukceh.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social @mizpas.bsky.social
π§΅1/n
