New site discovered for one of Wales’ rarest plants A rare winter plant has been given a boost after a new population was discovered, offering fresh hope for its long-term survival. The three-lobed water crowfoot, one of Wales’ rarest species, has enjo...

A rare winter plant has been given a boost after a new population was discovered, offering fresh hope for its long-term survival

This distinctive & attractive hoverfly Leucozona lucorum was seen visiting Ramsons flowers at BBOWT's Whitecross Green Wood on the Bucks/Oxfordshire border. Check out the hoverflies in our NEW #BestFlyBook bit.ly/4dqQI8Z @bbowt.bsky.social @flygirlnhm.bsky.social @tverc1.bsky.social

Have you ever wanted to know more about preserving plant specimens? Maybe for your own reference, or so you can share plants with experts for identification?

The BSBI is here for you! We have a webinar next week - 28th April, 7pm, completely free!

Book here: www.tickettailor.com/events/botan...

UK Butterfly Recorders' Meeting 2026 YouTube video by Butterfly Conservation

Deep dive into 50 years of butterfly data from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme 📊🦋

The official results, plus fascinating talks on the latest developments in butterfly research and conservation, are now available to watch here 👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_Aj...

#UKBMS50 #UKBRM

The Big British Garden Survey - Reveal the hidden wildlife in your garden Gardens are wonderful spaces often full of fabulous colour, scent and plants, but look a little deeper and you might reveal something more - a rich biodiversity of wildlife. But do you know what’s…

The Big British Garden Survey - Reveal the hidden wildlife in your garden
This year the National Garden Scheme is inviting people across the UK to take part in The Big British Garden Survey, which aims to build a national picture of where wildlife is thriving in gardens

Hoverfly on a purple flower and a quote "By combining wildlife recording with information about garden habitats, the project will generate valuable insights into how gardens support nature"

UKCEH scientists will manage and summarise the data collected to help improve understanding of how gardens support biodiversity.

www.ceh.ac.uk/news-and-med...

2/2

New citizen science initiative launched 🎉

Anyone in the UK can join in by registering their garden and recording the wildlife they see using established apps (FIT Count, iRecord Butterflies or iRecord)

More info: ngs.org.uk/the-big-brit...
Register today: esurveyor.ceh.ac.uk/national-gar...

Thanks for your interest! You’ll need to register your garden here esurveyor.ceh.ac.uk/national-gar... so we can extract the relevant records from
iRecord, otherwise just record as normal ☺️

Promotional banner for the British Ecological Society including the text "Celebrating the extraordinary, Become a BES Fellow, Apply today". A close up image of a red and blue biological structure is included.

Know an ecologist whose work has made significant contributions to the science and practice of ecology, its communication, and the global ecological community? Or is this you? 🌿

The BES Fellows programme is open to applications until 23 April. Please share widely!

@britishecologicalsociety.org

Really pleased to see this @btobirds.bsky.social 👏

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

Forget birdwatching, I’m into moth-watching: they’re fascinating and misunderstood insects | Helen Pilcher According to new research, distinguishing between the UK’s 2,500 species could halt cognitive decline – so my brain could not be happier, or healthier, says science writer Helen Pilcher

Forget birdwatching, I’m into moth-watching: they’re fascinating and misunderstood insects | Helen Pilcher

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

#mothsmatter #ukmoths

Three-lined Solder (C) Martin Harvey

@kitenet.bsky.social – 50 Yrs of Soldierfly Recording

🪰 Join us at #NFBRConference2026 on 7 May to uncover what 50 years of recording can reveal—from long-term trends to the future of monitoring and conservation.

🔗 Book your place: bit.ly/4sZO4iz #LongTermData #BiologicalRecording

aw thanks Jamie 😊

Top view of a moth whose forewings are a rich brown colour, with several wavy transverse white lines edged with multiple black chevrons. Each forewing has two black dots ringed with red in the central area as well as small red flecks and dots across the wings.

Proteuxoa sanguinipuncta - Blood-spotted Noctuid

Our first Blood-spotted Noctuid for this year, seen in our Perth Hills garden in mid-March. The striking red pattern on the forewings makes these moths easily recognisable.

#teammoth #ausinverts #wildoz #Lepidoptera #inaturalist

Innovative Moth Monitoring: Farmer Citizen Science Using AI YouTube video by Biological Recording Company

#SundayScience | Moth Monitoring & AI 🦋

Discover how Dr @abigaillowe.bsky.social worked with farmers using LED light traps and AI to monitor moths across England. Explore citizen science, data, and biodiversity in farmland in this #SundayScience webinar.

▶️ youtu.be/8Nljgi5yjf8

@ukceh.bsky.social

Front cover of Spring 2026 edition of Niche magazine by British Ecological Society. It features an underwater photogaph of coral and marine life set within a purple cover with the caption "Messy complexity".

Citizen science, or community science?

Hear from our Chair, @chloechesney.bsky.social on why we changed the name of our special interest group from Citizen Science to Community Science in the latest edition of @britishecologicalsociety.org Niche magazine.

Become a member to get your copy today!

Indigenous Peoples and local communities report a consistent decline in the body mass of birds across three continents | Oryx | Cambridge Core Indigenous Peoples and local communities report a consistent decline in the body mass of birds across three continents

Did you know? 🤔
Indigenous Peoples and local communities hold rich, place‑based ecological knowledge that can reveal patterns and changes often missed by conventional scientific methods.

Read more 👇
tinyurl.com/3f57entw

#communityscience #citizenscience

NHM London's Nature Overheard included an escalator engagement, with different tiers and different numbers of participants. Used zooniverse with flyTunes to classify data #citizenScience #communityScience

Illustrations of grasshopper, cricket and earwig on the front cover of a book called Field Guide to the Grasshoppers and Allies of Great Britain and Ireland

🦗 This #WorldWildlifeDay, discover Britain's grasshoppers, crickets & allied species in a brilliant new field guide!

It's co-written by our former colleague Björn Beckmann with recording scheme coordinator Peter Sutton.

Allied species are earwigs, stick insects, mantids and cockroaches 🪳

🧪 1/

What Makes an Engaging Environment? Lessons Learnt From Co-Created Research With Diverse Community groups. | Published in Journal of Participatory Research Methods By Danielle Robinson, Heather Sugden & 4 more. This perspective piece describes practical experience in the co-creation of research with underrepresented communities and represents the experience and…

Did you know? 🤔
Co‑designed community science helps make environmental science more inclusive and accessible, leading to research with greater real-world impact.

Read more 👇
jprm.scholasticahq.com/article/1262...

#communityscience #citizenscience

New UKEOF guide to using DNA-based monitoring with citizen science | UKEOF We are delighted to announce the recent release of the first UKDNA-WG briefing note. This guide to DNA-based monitoring with citizen science was written by Lauren Cook (UK Centre for Ecology &…

NEW Guide to DNA-based monitoring with community science @ukdnawg.bsky.social

💧 CS x DNA examples
👩🏽‍🦰 Involving volunteers
🔢 Project design
💡 Future directions
✍️ Resources
👉 tinyurl.com/2cn9zdbx

@laurens-colours.bsky.social @lynseyrharper.bsky.social @ukeof.bsky.social @naturalengland.bsky.social

A stocky bee with brown hairs on thorax and abdomen and yellow hairs on the face. Sitting on deadgrass stems.

First male Hairy-footed Flower Bee of the year in the garden this morning. #KentNature #bees #hymenoptera

Close-up of a male European Stag Beetle (Lucanus cervus) showing its red-brown antler-like mandibles, contrasting with the dark, textured head. Image credit: Martin Harvey @kitenet.bsky.app

Did you know? 🤔
Community science makes a huge contribution to biodiversity reporting, with over 70% of records used in England being submitted by volunteers

Read more 👇
naturalengland.blog.gov.uk/2025/10/14/m...

#communityscience #citizenscience
Image credit: Martin Harvey @kitenet.bsky.social

Getting to grips with iRecord 📱📝

New to iRecord or finding it tricky? Our iRecord 101 course takes you step-by-step from first record to confident user, with tips from recording specialist Keiron Brown. 🌍 🧪

Thu 2 Apr 2026
👉 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/irecord-10...

@ukceh.bsky.social

Thanks Deborah, I did expect some concern but hopefully I was clear what our aims are 😁 Definitely will always encourage recorders to keep doing what they’re doing & not out to replace anything!

Ah yeah @scotsguyinwales.bsky.social it has been something I’ve dipped in and out of for about 5 years 🫣 Couldn’t make any progress last year for various reasons, but going to work with some of the Welsh orgs this year to get it done properly & good standard. Will obv shout from rooftops when done!

Excited to be joining @bes-communitysci.bsky.social committee as Communications Officer 🥳
If you're interested in community/citizen science or use it in your research, sign up to our newsletter to hear about upcoming events, community highlights, and the latest research.

Illustrations of insects representing Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Orthoptera, and Coleoptera with percentage reductions in abundance: 58%, 37%, 27%, 12% respectively.

First global analysis of its kind, led by UKCEH, has shown the impacts of invasive alien species on insects.

The study found the non-native animals & plants on average reduce abundance of terrestrial insects by 31% and species richness by 21%.

www.ceh.ac.uk/press/insect...

🧪 1/ #biodiversity

Can you identify UK bumblebees and/or butterflies to a species level in the field?

Or do you have strong botanical survey skills (equivalent to FISC Level 4 or higher) with the ability to recognise broad and priority habitats?

See great opportunity below & please share!