Ben Lewis

This Little Rock Goby got my pan species list to the 2500 mark #PanSpeciesListing #PSL #fish

Combining two hobbies yesterday. A common Blenny/Shanny at Lowestoft pier. A #PSL and fishing tick for me, bigger than I thought they’d be! #LRF

Was a pleasure 👍

I’ve had them feeding on Angelica too, Hemlock seems fairly regular at isolated locations now too… but always within fen surrounding and not yet beyond in the wider landscape

A green and black Swallowtail caterpillar eating white Milk Parsley

Seems a bad evolutionary link for a rare butterfly larva to eat a rare plant’s flowers and seeds. (Swallowtail Butterfly). Still a few adults flying now too.

A quick foray into the fen to carry out some swallowtail larval counts yielded 2 new species for me, an amazing Musk Beetle and the planthopper Stenocranus longipennis

Big thanks to @britishbugs.bsky.social for such a fantastic website, an amazing resource in a field that seems to be sadly lacking decent identification guides in the uk… great job 👏

Busy week of identifying specimens from Franchises Lodge, about 260 species (exc moths) identified and the target of better understanding invertebrate identification achieved. A few more pots to go next week and then a big write up required.

Can anyone confirm this grasshopper from New Forest? It’s the only photo I have, dark marks appear to reach rear of pronotum suggesting Heath, but can’t convince myself… thanks!

Masked Hunter bug, Reduvius personatus

This ‘Masked Hunter’ must’ve been enjoying breakfast in my moth trap today as it was packed full of bycatch . Can’t see scale in the pic but it’s a very large bug at ~2cm!

This is looking good for Langmaids Yellow Underwing isn’t it??

All records will go to Wilts moth recorder when collated but for now the Ramburialis were on 21/6 and 26/6, the Splendid Brocade was 22/6.

Apart from the caddisflies and lacewings, which are still to identify this moth trap ‘intruder’ was most welcome, the spectacular cranefly Ctenophora ornata, what a beast!

Franchises Lodge RSPB reserve, Wiltshire- SU228172

Wood Cricket

Bog Bush Cricket

Large Marsh Grasshopper

Woodland Grasshopper

I was very pleased to see 4 new Orthoptera species too, enjoyed getting to grips with the hoppers again.. always fun to stalk!

Some migrants too for @migrantmothuk.bsky.social 2 Diasemiopsis ramburialis (Migrant Sable), 1 Splendid Brocade, and small numbers of Silver y’s, RDPs, diamondbacks

Scarce Merveille du Jour

Goat Moth

Some summer green and I finally got my Goat!

Triangle

Cloaked Carpet

Mocha

Waved Black

Back from a great week at rspb’s Franchises Lodge in Wiltshire, primarily to record moths but also try to ID as many inverts as I could. I’ll put together a few messages with the highlights over the coming weeks as I get through the specimens…

Swallowtail Butterfly feeding on pink flowers.

Honey Buzzard gliding through blue skies.

Fen Raft Spider stood on small lily pads while holding an egg sac.

A landscape view of Strumpshaw Fen with lush green reeds, blue shimmering water and blue skies with fluffy clouds.

Going to #GlobalBirdfair?
➡️ Sat 12 July (10am) - Plover Lecture Stage - 'Scarcities & Swallowtails: Celebrating 50 years of RSPB Strumpshaw Fen'.
✅ Learn about this amazing reserve, now in its 50th year, from the perspective of its most addicted patch-birder... me! #birds #NorfolkBirding 😎

Iconic forest birds of Hawaii saved by Doner Kebabs 😂

Thanks Andy 👍

Hijack away, I’m sure it’ll be more than just us that want to know the answers.

Fantastic, thanks for your help there. I’ve mainly been small scale collecting and identifying the catch fairly soon after, but a week in New Forest in late June may be a different experience, so need decent storage for specimens. 👍

Thanks Andy. Likely to be Staphs, weevils and true bugs mostly, with a few other beetles and craneflies, caddis etc too.

Invert recorders- I am doing my first week long study of a site for inverts next week. Q: what is the current best way to store inverts between collection and microscopy c.2weeks later so they can be id’d/carded/pinned etc? Freezer, pickling vinegar on cloth, dry? What do you do? Thanks

Nice to see a Red-Tipped Clearwing (no lure) feeding on Marsh Valerian at Surlingham yesterday, my first clearwing of the year.

My thoughts entirely!

135 species in the Strumpshaw moth trap this morning was a very good start to the day, a couple new for the reserve too! My highlight however was the bycatch, 15 new species for me there..

Nice morning at Titchwell looking at reedbed management with Ryan. Also got a few nice sightings while there- Dune Tiger Beetle (beauty!), Marram Weevil, an apparent Gynnidomorpha vectisana and a couple of juv Spoonbills.

I stumbled upon one there in early March this year, little stunners!