Holly Blue posing well in Frodsham today

Lovely to see Brown-banded Carder back on the allotment, examining the compost heap and nectaring on Red Dead-nettle

Bombylius major Radley Lakes 01042012 242 (2) The Major bee-fly, Bombylius major - a fly species which mimics mining bees in order to get close to their nest burrows - it hovers outside the burrow, flicking its eggs into the hole

You know it's spring when the bee-flies are out! First Bombylius major of the year here today (file pic), plus queen Early and Buff-tailed bumblebees flic.kr/p/bJ6Upk

How does the Consultants Portal work and who’s involved - National Biodiversity Network Find out more about the Consultants Portal, how it works and who's involved.

@andymus.bsky.social Sounds like there might be a case for the consultant's portal being resurrected? nbn.org.uk/news/how-doe...

Fingers crossed! Been wet but warm here - that may not be ideal either

A male Hairy-footed Flower Bee on a sunny wall

Must be spring if the Hairy-footers are out and about! This one visited my office this afternoon

Moths starting to appear in the milder weather - Oak Beauty and Dotted Chestnut in Malvern this morning

Well, looks like the moths think it's spring! Or possibly have all been flooded out. Hebrew Character and Pale Brindled Beauty (x6) this morning

Been here for a while but got out of the habit of posting when twitter died!

Recruitment poster for 12 botanical or entomological field surveyors, April-September 2026. Closing date: January 30, 2026.

🦋🌿Hiring 12 x Botanists or Entomologists for 2026 field surveys in England!

4-month, full-time roles from late April to early September.

Field sites in Yorkshire, Devon, Warwickshire, Kent/Sussex, Lincolnshire/Cambridge, Essex/Suffolk.

Apply now: ceh.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/CEH_Ca... 🧪

Bombus terrestris workers (3+) out and active in Malvern today, busily collecting pollen and nectaring on Mahonia

Found this Bombardier Beetle (Brachinus crepitans) in a spiderweb in the garden this morning - bet the spider got a bit of a shock!

Sounds good! I've recorded about 1500 species in the garden so far but the allotment list is a bit shorter so far

Bees and Allotments [I wrote this for my local allotment newsletter, and it felt like as good a place as any to restart blogging!] I joined the allotmenteering ...

National Allotment Week felt like as good a time as any to restart blogging, with a piece I wrote earlier about the value of allotments for bumblebees: insectrambles.blogspot.com/2025/08/bees...

Out in Monmouthshire today running bumblebee ID training for the Wye Valley National Landscapes team and volunteers. One of the highlights was this striking yellow-tailed male Forest Cuckoo bumblebee Bombus sylvestris - very early!

Not a new term but definitely one that needs repetition! I'm gradually working my way round beekeeper societies giving a talk about it :)

Yep

Celebrating women in science

International Women in Science Day, celebrating the amazing Royal Horticultural Societies Science and Collections Team www.rhs.org.uk/science/arti.... @hayleyento.bsky.social

Yes, a Cream-spot - a form I've seen pictures of but never found in reality, very nice!