'The post-92 universities, the former polytechnics, the institutions that serve the majority of UK students, are experiencing something qualitatively different from what Oxford and Cambridge are experiencing.' 1/3
@cnhs1857.bsky.social Speckled wood butterflies today and the male is trying to mate with the female and is wafting pheromones over her. The female is not interested and eventually plays dead to try to discourage the male. #ukbutterflies
Just in case you are free this Saturday, the wonderful Cambridge Natural History Festival is on. All welcome! #NatHistCam #CNHSConversazione
A Peacock butterfly (Aglais io) nectaring amongst Apple blossom today in Cambridge.
Beautiful Brimstones today. They were enjoying the Chinodoxa flowers in Cambridge.
Spring, and my first butterfly of the year, a Peacock. Lots of Hairy-footed flower bees have also emerged. Also, my first mining bee of the season, a male Andrena bicolor/Gwynne's mining bee. #bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social
It looks like the Roe is itchy under the bottom of his antlers - you can see him scratching with a small twig at the join with his forehead. He also chews the twig as well, presumably to get it just right!
@cnhs1857.bsky.social A talk about Beavers in person or online, Cambridge, Thursday 12th February 2026. #wildlifebcn.org #cambsmammalgroup
A great encounter with a Tree creeper (Certhia familiaris) in Cambridge yesterday.
Bank vole (Myodes glareolus) eating a leaf in the woods at work on Friday. I see it has good table manners and politely eats the top half, and then ends up crumpling and stuffing the last bit of the leaf into its mouth.
CNHS Spring Talks - in person or online. Anyone welcome.
Early morning moth trapping in Cambridge after the holidays. No moths this morning, but some beautiful skies and views. (On top of the David Attenborough building and at King's College).
We collected two Polypody fronds for Cambridge University Herbarium last year. Have you ever wondered how you catalogue and store specimens? Juliet has kindly sent in some photos showing them catalogued and put into the Herbarium. #CambridgeUniveristyHerbarium
@cnhs1857.bsky.social Bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) galore. At least four were running around a wood pile yesterday.
Bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) running around a wood pile yesterday
CNHS stall
Looking at fossils
@cnhs1857.bsky.social CNHS had a stall at the Big Biology Day last weekend. People enjoyed exploring and chatting about Bees, moths, seeds, fungi, an antler, fossils etc. the fossilized shark teeth were the biggest draw - especially with the younger crowd.
Pleased to find a new species for Britain, confirmed today. The weevil Otiorhynchus corruptor - found outside in Cambridge on 22nd August 2025. (Of course, I recorded it as a Vine weevil, so thanks to Mark Gurney and Max Barclay for correcting my mistaken identification)!
Thanks for the talk last night on your Endemic book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt a lot too
@cnhs1857.bsky.social Field Study. On Sunday, August 10 we will look at Coe Fen and Sheep’s Green. Meet at the bridge over the weir by Scudamore’s at the end of Mill Lane TL447580 at 2pm. All welcome.
Lots of Migrant hawkers (Aeshna mixta) here today in Cambridge.
Hummingbird hawkmoth egg-laying today in Cambridge on Ladies bedstraw #teammoth
CNHS led a biodiversity walk around the new Marleigh development on Tuesday evening. Despite the pouring rain it was good to see quite a few residents turning up for the walk and we managed to find and record quite a lot of wildlife (mainly plants though!). @cnhs1857.bsky.social
Butterfly abs; small tortoiseshell ab. magnipuncta and Northern brown argus semi-allous, Strathspey
Insh Marshes NR today. Dark green fritillaries, Northern brown argus and an Azure hawker
A herd of Elephant moths today in the Botanic Gardens. We also saw a scarce migrant, the Small marbled (Eublemma parva) and other beauties such as the Spectacle, Dark arches & Buff-tip.
Purple emperor
Sussex butterflies; Purple hairstreak, Marbled white and Small tortoiseshells mating
Sussex again last weekend - my first Valezina and we saw her mating too!
White admirals were out in droves at the weekend in Sussex. We also saw Purple hairstreaks and Silver-washed fritillaries.
