Hi Vic! Hope you're well. If you see this, please unblock me on X - you blocked me whilst going through your Elon Musk phase..

No sign whatsoever, apart from the numbers that show entry figures for the coming year have dropped significantly?

No, also schools were hit with 5x business rate increase, NIC hike, increased energy bills, increased wages and pension contributions, increased capex, and reduced roll.

On average fees have gone up 22.6%.

Ah, thank you very much! It's like the good old days being corrected on a shieldbug nymph id by Rockwolf 😊

@urbanponds.bsky.social great footage!

Thanks Matt!

Thanks Martin!

Xysticus ground crab spider perched on green grass head.

Chaetorellia jaceae, a little fruit fly (4mm) with overall yellow appearance, some interesting markings on the wings, black spots over the body and bright green eyes.

A Clubiona spider feeding on a sawfly larva.

A young Red-legged Shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes) on a wet blade of grass.

Had a late night walk on Friday just as the rain was arriving for Bank Holiday.

A small, orange coloured spider with slightly green legs and brown speckles over the head and body.

A couple of years ago I found Philodromus albidus at a graveyard in Leeds, which was a first record for anywhere in the north of England. I'm now seeing them everywhere, particularly in the garden. Not confirmed to species so albidus/rufus. @britishspiders.bsky.social

Breakfast clubs 🤦

School budgets are being cut. Again.

Yet in court they admitted their analysis had predicted 54,000 would switch to state, so they were lying.

As a state school parent, I want better funded schools with smaller class sizes and that's exactly the opposite of what the VAT is bringing. It's not just the private schools that are laying teachers off.

That's a massive drop and if the trend continues the policy becomes extremely expensive. You were wrong about elasticity.

Better use than paying for teachers and directly supporting local business whilst relieving pressure on the underfunded and overcrowded state sector?

Schools are just announcing that they will no longer be offering bursaries from next year.

The vast majority haven't and fees are up on average 22%.

Thanks Stefan!

I've taken this exact shot so many times in the past but can never resist another one!

Top down shot of a small, green and orange Araniella spider with thick black spines.

A spider I'm seeing loads of at the moment (Araniella sp.) @britishspiders.bsky.social

A pair of Dagger flies, the male at the top clinging to a leaf by its front legs and mating with a female in the middle who is feeding on a black fly.

The main theme of yesterday's little macro walk was seeing Dagger flies (Empididae) either mating or feeding on St. Mark's flies (Bibio marci) - or doing both at the same time as it happens...

Thanks Ian! I've popped it on iRecord as it does seem to be under-recorded. Only one record for Yorkshire that I can see and nothing further north.

Suggesting colour isn't 100% reliable, perhaps more so if your specimen has been preserved in ethanol. Hoping the experts will know🤞

One of my regular spots and always enjoy the visit any time of year. Loads of invert activity at the moment!

Hawthorn Jewel Beetle, a reddish metallic colour, short body and large compound eyes.

Stopped by at Brockadale yesterday as I was in the area and spotted what I believe is a Hawthorn Jewel Beetle (Agrilus sinuatus). Not the best shot but thought I'd share as I've never seen one of these before. In fact, not many records for them up north.

Front on shot of Philodromus dispar, a Running Crab Spider with distinctive black body and light orange legs.

A spider, Philodromus dispar, on a green leaf.

A dapper looking male Philodromus dispar searching the garden for a mate. @britishspiders.bsky.social

A Pardosa spider with an egg sac towed from the spinnerets on the back of her abdomen.

First Pardosa with egg sac of the year, an early one (28th April). They'll be out in big numbers in the coming weeks. A fleeting shot of the back before she shot off into the undergrowth. @britishspiders.bsky.social

Nursery Web spider (Pisaura mirabilis) carrying a tightly packed prey item wrapped in silk, held in his jaws.

If you're looking for a mate, you need to find her the perfect gift - preferably wrapped in silk.

A male Nursery Web spider (Pisaura mirabilis) carrying a nuptial gift for a nearby female. @britishspiders.bsky.social

A 3mm springtail, Neanura muscorum, podgy with light blue and yellow colours and sparse, long setae. The springtail is joined by an even smaller green and white mite.

Despite some dry weather here, plenty of moisture in the rotting deadwood lying around and loads of activity. Here's a springtail (Neanura muscorum) and a tiny mite.