This is the story of my daughter Milly and Lyme Disease. There was no rash, no "summer flu", NHS blood tests negative. And she's been ill for a quarter of her life. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s... Thank you @lymediseaseuk.bsky.social & @lymeresourcecentre.bsky.social for raising UK awareness.

Heterathrus microcephalus on our Weeping Willow - a sawfly miner I rarely see. Lyonetia prunifoliella mining Blackthorn seedlings in the garden. Lots of frass extruded under the leaf is characteristic

This male Tachina from Shotesham (E Norfolk) in August looks pretty spot-on for the newly colonising (or at least newly recognised) T. magnicornis

Species 8,298: Macrosteles sardus, a hopper beaten from Great Willowherb on Shotesham Common, 100m from my desk. Thanks to @tim-hodge.bsky.social for the suggestion!

Well Merveille du Jour finally crossed my peepers today thanks to @laurasharp.bsky.social and Helen Rowe, also Ypsolopha parenthesella and a stunning (and wonderfully named) Carabus problematicus beetle #teammoth

Absolutely, a classic @panspecieslisting.bsky.social song!

A reminder that we have a weekend of NNNS fungi-related events coming up. On Saturday 27th Sept 2025 at 10:30, national fungus expert & author Geoffrey Kibby will be leading a walk at Litcham Warren. See norfolknaturalists.org.uk/wp/events-pa... for meeting point details.

On Sunday 28th September 2025, 10:30-4, county fungus recorder Dr Tony Leech is putting on a whole-day fungus identification workshop at Wheatfen, inc both lab & field parts. There is a cost of £15 & places are limited, so please book with Tony, details on norfolknaturalists.org.uk/wp/events-pa...

Marginal veins of Nymphaea alba (left) and Nymphaea candida (right) for comparison.. Veins of candida join to form closed loops, those of alba end at the leaf edge. Of course there’s a hybrid too, which is common where they meet.

Finding pseudoscopions. Our compost bin had Pselaphochernes scorpioides in it. To search: scoop out top layer of kitchen/garden waste & put in bucket. Sieve next layer down using garden riddle over a bowl. Then use finer potting sieve over tray. They are small, around 2mm. 1/2 @duleyp.bsky.social

Really enjoyed talking sawflies all day long today with the @norfolknats.bsky.social

I've even prepared some sawflies for people to play with...

I'm not great at getting politically active, but these guys are, so seem like a decent bunch to give a few quid to.

I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore. So I wrote a blog about ten things you can do *right now* to help defeat Farage, Musk, and rightwing populism. From scrutinising Reform councillors to demanding the UK Govt leave X - get involved: guyshrubsole.substack.com/p/ten-things...

New 'Just a Bird' diary/blog post - July 2025: Trip to UK, days 1&2 - Pottering round Windsor Park & a Norfolk village www.gyrcrakes.com/blog/2025/9/...

Jo, I tell a lie, the Nicotiana sylvestris is still going strong about 100 metres west of the Coop in Acle, look for the For Sale sign @jo-the-botanist.bsky.social

Wow, that's a lotta aphids

View from my 39th and final professional fieldwork day of the year. Nice to get them all done and dusted. Just a teeny number of specimens to identify next then.

It would be great to have an up-to-date book on Europe's lacewings etc. but this isn't it. A hefty price for a small book that covers a small % of its too-big scope. The plates are mainly set specimens, too small to be of use. Some useful detail but limited value with so much omitted. More in ALT.

This appears to be the seldom-recorded Issus muscaeformis, from Hampshire this week. Pale band across the lower face, and (although it's hard to see on my pics), the underside of the abdominal apex also seems to show the correct features (not sure what they're all called!) Latest iRecord map shown.

Species 8,275: Asilus crabroniformis (Hornet Robberfly) at Magdalen Hill Down this morning between the showers. After failing by wandering around looking out for them on cowpats on in flight, I swung a net through the vegetation and immediately found in there!

3 new spp in Hants today. Barred Hook-tip (Watsonalla cultraria) in the moth-trap (my top moth target on @panspecieslisting.bsky.social), Buttonweed (Cotula coronopifolia) in a damp hollow down by the coast, and "Jersey Ladybird" (poor name!) (Calvia decemguttata) tapped out of Holly at Matley Bog.

As we were passing today, carried out a hit-and-run shieldbug twitch in Waltham Abbey. Just one Graphosoma italicum seen in the rain. Species 8,270 for my @panspecieslisting.bsky.social

Numerous Jersey Ladybirds (Calvia decemguttata) found in Denny Wood SU338058 in the New Forest yesterday with @mammalmark.bsky.social Six in Beech trees, one in Wych Elm and one in birch. #UKLadybirds #HampshireWildlife

Highly recommended!

Amazing footage of sawflies vs wasps. This sort of thing is clearly going on all the time without us noticing, and is likely hugely important in regulating numbers of these voracious herbivores.

🔍 Help us improve GB Red Listing! If you use the GB Red List data on our webpage, we’d love your feedback. 📋 Take a short survey to help us enhance how we share this vital information: 👉 jncc.gov.uk/our-work/red... 🗓️ Survey closes 10 October 2025

I’ve had them feeding on Angelica too, Hemlock seems fairly regular at isolated locations now too… but always within fen surrounding and not yet beyond in the wider landscape

Thanks for sharing this @markgurn.bsky.social, that wasted a couple of enjoyable hours today!

Hello @bsky.app. we are Norfolk Ponds Project - a science-led partnership NGO focused on pond restoration & #ghostpond ressurection. We aim to educate, lobby & inspire others on ponds. We used to Tweet & had 5000+ followers. ***Please follow & help us achieve the same here***!!!

Any Suffolk or Norfolk botanists know if Hog Fennel, Peucedanum officinale still persists at Southwold? And if so where?! I can only find mention of it in 1994 ‘in reeds near the harbour’ 🤞🤞

Zitting cisticola Walberswick, Suffolk, 23/08/2025 I thought I was having a good day with an image of one of the juveniles from the 1st recorded breeding of Zitting cisticola in the UK. On review I found four juveniles and the adult female🤯 @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social #suffolkbirding #ukbirding

Species 8,250: Polistes dominula (European Paper Wasp), c20 showing well at Little Plumstead Walled Garden, mostly on Red Bistort. Thanks @timstrudwick.bsky.social for the location. Good coffee/cakes too!

Eversible coremata (scent-extruding organs)?

Wow, crazy stuff here @gavinbroad.bsky.social @jasboparai.bsky.social

Breaking news via PSL website: Jersey Ladybird (Calvia decemguttata) occurring regularly in Hampshire, with scattered records in New Forest 2025 and Southhampton 2024-25. Any one know of a reliable location or which trees/shrubs they have been found on? No records on irecord.

Couple of other recent colonists from last night's moth-trap at Dennington (Suffolk). Musotima nivalis (Marbled Fern) seemingly now cropping up anywhere with any ferns. Mythimna vitellina (Delicate) long-known as a migrant but now clearly established as resident, with 6 seen (and no other migrants).

Long overdue addition to the village list, finally spotted this subtle species on Shotesham Common just now. Species 2,984 for the home 1 km square #CharismaticMegafauna

Thought I'd post something about separating Nysius senecionis and graminicola, as both are now widespread. The features to focus on are the extent of the matt field of the evaporatory area (the brown bit) and the length of the 1st hind tarsal segment relative to the 2nd and 3rd.

Good one for you in your county role here @arcanelove.bsky.social

These have gotta be Nezara viridula (Southern Green Shieldbug) surely? In my Norfolk garden, very few county records to date @britishbugs.bsky.social

Nice way to start today's surveys around Dennington estate in Suffolk

Two Great Green Bush-cricket calling in the garden tonight. The new normal for Norfolk

Was a quiet, rainy, windy, cold night last night but who cares! This Clifden miraculously found the trap last night, and was a very welcome garden tick. Stunning.

Phyllonorycter scopariella beaten off Broom at the weekend - a rarely-seen species it seems, and new to me.

Just checked NBN: just 72 sawfly records on Orkney, ever @andymus.bsky.social @naturespotter.bsky.social ! My half dozen specimens thus almost represent 10% of the entire database if NBN is accurate! Shows what a tiny bit of effort can achieve in these places.

Humans outperform Merlin Sound ID in field-based point-count surveys | doi.org/10.1093/orni... | Ornithological Applications | #ornithology 🪶

ICYMI: What looks like a very interesting book on spiders. If you’re keen to know how many spiders have been found in @yorkshiredales.org.uk, Leeds, Sheffield or the many Nature Reserves then this is the book for you.

The pewter-like quality of Anomalous is really unusual and well, anomalous…. #teammoth

I reckon this is not Scarce 7SL, but just normal 7SL, despite that pale patch. Maybe it should be clearer white? Anyway, I've dissected a few like this and the males look correct for Coccinella septempunctata after all. Educational.