Do you have your tickets yet? It's less than a month until our brilliant #NFBRConference2026, full of fabulous and knowledgeable speakers, ample tea and lunch! What more do you need for a fantastic few days?! We can't wait to see you there! 🔗 Book your place: bit.ly/4sZO4iz #BiologicalRecording
Please, beat us at predicting population trends. Fun game to test your intuition and see how you compare to trained models!
As PoMS approaches its tenth year of monitoring #pollinators it is awesome to see what has been achieved by @ukbms.bsky.social, its partners and many, many volunteers over the last 50 years, and also sobering to see how many species have declined in that time
Thanks to the staff and visitors who joined us this lunchtime for some #FITcounts on our Wallingford site @ukceh.bsky.social Looks like a great year for the Buttercups and Dandelions, with plenty of pollinators out today (all too quick to photograph!) 😊☀️🪰🐝🐞
14 degrees, clear blue sky, glorious Dandelions on the lawn = perfect conditions for my first #FITcount of 2026 😊 @pomscheme.bsky.social
Join a new citizen science project and help us to uncover the hidden lives of Europe’s ground-nesting #bees - please share with your networks:
jeffollerton.co.uk/2026/04/02/h...
Butterfly Conservation's hairy caterpillars to see in spring & summer: Oak/Northern Eggar, Drinker, Dark Tussock, Vapourer, Emperor Moth, Fox Moth, Wood Tiger. Graphic of a pen and a checklist next to text which reads: "Spotted a hairy caterpillar? Report your sightings via the ‘Peatland Caterpillars Recording Project’ activity on the iRecord app or website: irecord.org.uk" Photo credits: Bob Eade, Russell Gomm, Iain Leach, Mark Parsons
Look out for these seven hairy caterpillars found on our precious peatlands in the North of England 🐛🔍
Spotted a hairy caterpillar? Report your sighting to us through the ‘Peatland Caterpillars Recording Project’ on iRecord 👉 irecord.org.uk/join/peatland-caterpilla...
Why should the #legal profession care about #pollinator decline? Because #pollinators sit right at the intersection of #biodiversity loss, food security, business risk, and emerging regulation. Read more about my recent article on this topic here: jeffollerton.co.uk/2026/04/02/p...
Want to get involved in monitoring butterflies and contribute to a 50yr dataset tracking populations of butterflies in the UK?
We have opporunities to join teams surveying transects in some great locations in Lancashire.
Find out more here: buff.ly/3cnIupq
@BC_Lancs
Butterfly Conservation's Butterflies and Moths to see in April: Holly Blue, Emperor moth, Orange-tip, Ruby Tiger, Brimstone, Streamer, Speckled Wood, Purple Thorn, Peacock
April has us all aflutter with more beautiful butterflies and moths to look for in our gardens and green spaces 🌷🦋
What have you seen recently?
Advert for British Ecological Society's Community Science Group online webinar 'Building Community Science Together' on Thursday 2nd April, 12:00-13:00 BST. The event information is presented on a yellow background with an image of animal and human footprints in sand underneath the event information.
There's still time to register for our first event! 🎉
What's involved?
- Meet the committee
- Hear from community science researchers
- Have your say in shaping the future of the group
More details & registration: www.britishecologicalsociety.org/content/buil...
@britishecologicalsociety.org
The Big Eight return in April🎱
Of the UK’s 24 bumblebee species, these eight are the most common. This month, some queens will emerge from hibernation. Already active queens will produce their first daughters, the workers💼
Have you spotted your first bumblebee of 2026?
🔎🐝https://ow.ly/SFIl50YAzUL
You can also watch a FIT Count webinar (via @biologicalrecording.co.uk) for practical advice and information about how the results are used youtu.be/CsgyNsXnqwU?... - good luck with your counts this year!
A series of five overlapping screenshots showing parts of the insect identification guide that is included within the FIT Count app
Guidance on identifying the insect groups is available in our free FIT Count app ukpoms.org.uk/fit-count-app and on the PoMS website ukpoms.org.uk/fit-counts - and don't forget to send in your count results, including any zero counts (which sometimes happens at the start of the season 😢)
Poster: weather guidance. When the sky is more than half blue, it is fine for FIT Counts if temperature is 13°C or higher. If the sky is half or more cloudy it is okay for FIT Counts if temperature is 15°C or higher. Please do not do FIT Counts in the cold or rain!
Counts can be done at any time from 1 April to 30 September, but please do wait for the right weather conditions before starting your first FIT Count: above 13°C in sunshine, or above 15°C in cloudier conditions, is best for the insects and more enjoyable for you!
Two people carrying out a FIT Count in a flowery meadow, using a quadrat made out of tape to mark out the target flowers for the count. One person is using the FIT Count app, the other has a paper recording form on a clipboard.
Welcome to the new season for #pollinator FIT Counts! Our latest e-news was sent out this morning - read it here mailchi.mp/7e658beeba40... and subscribe at ukpoms.org.uk/subscribe As soon as the weather is warm enough we hope that you will enjoy watching and counting insects on flowers with us.
Butterflies are #pollinators and get counted in FIT Counts, and there are some great survey opportunities that focus on butterflies via our friends at @ukbms.bsky.social
Join the Pollinating London Together Annual Meeting on 30 March (5:30–8:30 PM) at Tower Suites. Reflect on the past year, explore 2025 survey findings, hear future plans, and connect with others working for a greener London.
Free to attend! More info on the website.
#PollinatingLT
Just over two weeks to go before the 2026 FIT Counts for #pollinators start up again ukpoms.org.uk/fit-counts Dandelions are one of the target flowers at the start of the season, often attracting flies and bees
Not long to go now until the Birds in Greenspaces survey starts on 1 April! Sign up to take part at www.bto.org/greenspaces
This is a UK-wide survey open to all, whether you are an experienced birder or new to nature!
If you fancy listening to me talking about butterflies, moths and how to help them in your garden, there’s a new podcast from the fabulous folk at Garden Organic www.gardenorganic.org.uk/our-views/th...
Holly Blue butterfly feeding on forget-me-nots
Speckled Wood butterfly on forget-me-nots
Spring is springing! 🙌
More butterflies are beginning to make an appearance, with the first Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) and Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) of 2026 spotted on 25 February.
📷 Photos from archive: Nigel Ball, Anna Wheeler
Join us for the UK Butterfly Recorders Meeting!
This free event is perfect for butterfly enthusiasts, taking place online on Sat 28th March. Discover the 2025 UKBMS findings and enjoy insights from leading butterfly experts.
Reserve your free spot now!
butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/...
Butterfly Conservation's butterflies and moths to see in March: Red Admiral, Orange Underwing, Peacock, Oak Beauty, Brimstone, Dotted Border, Comma, Early Thorn, Small Tortoiseshell
Spring is on its way! Look out for these butterflies and moths in your gardens and local green spaces 🦋🌷
What have you seen recently?
March sees the return of bumblebee queens as they emerge from hibernation – here are some of the common species you can spot this month 👀
Have you spotted your first bumblebee of 2026?
🔎 Brush up on your bumblebee identification skills: https://ow.ly/af3U50Yi2iq
As well as the FIT Count survey, we run a more systematic survey using insect traps in a set of 1 km squares across the UK. If you live near one of the red squares on the map and are interested in taking part please contact us for more details ukpoms.org.uk/one-km-squar...
There's less than a month until the start of the 2026 FIT Count season on 1 April! The Flower-Insect Timed Count survey asks you to spend 10 minutes counting all insects that land on a patch of flowers, to help monitor abundance of #pollinators. 🪰🦋🌻🪲🐝 More info at ukpoms.org.uk/fit-counts
A chance to learn more about production of this fabulous new guide to #FliesofBritainandIreland with Steven Falk 👏🪰😊@naturebureau.bsky.social
www.nhbs.com/blog/author-...
Just 3 days left to get your hands on a copy of our new guide to #FliesofBritainandIreland at the pre-pub price bit.ly/4dqQI8Z – delivery expected to us by 21 Feb 2026 @rdimond.bsky.social @flygirlnhm.bsky.social @gailashton.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @the-wildlifetrusts.bsky.social
