What a day for butterflies & moths, Species number 10 & 11 of the year: Green Hairstreak x 4 Holly Blue x 8 Speckled Wood x 3 Peacock x 12 Orange-tip x 4 Emperor Moth x 2 Pyrausta despicata x 1 Ancylis comptana x 5 Common Lizard x 1 #Butterflies #Moths #Butterfly #Lepidoptera

29 butterflies today which included 7 Holly Blue 😮

@wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social Wildflower hour… a bit late

Ant Woodlouse (Platyarthrus hoffmannseggii) (Brandt 1833) Had digging to do today & was able to catch up with these little critters 4mm Ant woodlice are off white, perhaps due to their underground lifestyle in ants nests, they are blind and are thought to help clean the nests #AntWoodlouse

Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) My 9th butterfly species of the year Popped to the local nature reserve on my estate Orange-tip Peacock & Comma x 2 #butterflies #Butterfly

First Emperor Moth (Saturnia pavonia) of the year 😃 #mothsmatter

An interesting piece of art work in Cheltenham today

Small Tortoiseshell on my ride home this evening, increasingly rare so glad to see one #butterflies

On the 4th of June - @juleshoward.bsky.social & I will be discussing insects & just how important they are 👊🪰 (and they are) at the #CheltSciFest (2 - 7 June 2026) @cheltfestivals The full line-up is out now & tickets go on sale 22 April, 10am www.cheltenhamfestivals.org/whats-on

Common Eyelash Fungi (Scutellinia scutellata) (Lamb 1887) A ascomycetous fungus that is quite tiny, and so despite being quite common it often goes unnoticed, biggest cup 4mm They damp places: as long as there is plenty of moisture and some well-rotted timber to eat #Scutelliniascutellata #fungi

Adder/ Common European Adder/ European Viper (Vipera berus) In the family Viperidae I was able to see 5 Adders on Thursday on heathland Adder has a dark and very distinct zig-zag pattern down its back The adder is the UK's only venomous snake #Adder #Snake

consult.defra.gov.uk/defra/trail-... Copy and paste and fill in the above. 5-10 mins of your time unless including evidence Let’s get this cruel loophole closed !!!

Red Kites (Milvus milvus) Blues skies and at one point 18 Red Kites soaring above my head #RedKite #birdsofprey

Alien plane trees

brilliant graphics, makes it really clear the impact of climate change

Anyone I know working at NHM today?

In London for the day… anything new I should see at NHS ? @flygirlnhm.bsky.social

Large Tortoiseshell, watched two of these fly around my head in Kent after many many hours of searching. Also saw 20+ Peacock, 5 Comma and 1 S White

Americans please unit behind this…

White Satin (Leucoma salicis) (Linnaeus 1758)Turkey Found in Europe but exclude the far north. In the east it is found across the Palearctic to Japan. The species was introduced to North America in the 1920s Prefer damp locations, such as forest edges Larvae feed on Salix and Populus sp #Moths

Transparent Burnet (Zygaena purpuralis) (Brünnich 1763) Turkey Like several of the other burnet moths but distinguished by the thinly scaled forewing with three blunt red streaks Larvae feed on wild thyme Habitat is sunny and grassy slopes, under cliffs and dry grassland #Turkey

Live in Herts or NW London + love spotting butterflies? We need volunteers to survey butterfly transects in the area. You'll need to be able to ID butterflies, walk a 1km transect once each week, or in a rota with others. See comments for more details on the sites... @bc-hertsmiddx.bsky.social

A Moth (Orthostixis cribraria) (Hübner 1799) Nemrut Crater Lake, Turkey A moth in the family Geometridae Found in SE Europe, Black Sea Region, Caucasus, Transcaucasus and Middle East Habitat is montane forest with Quercus and Acer Feeds on Skullcaps (Scutellaria sp) #Turkey #Mothsmatter

Dusky Clearwing (Paranthrene tabaniformis) (Rottemburg 1775)Turkey Forewings rather dark fuscous, with elongate obscure hyaline patch towards base; costal streak violet-blackish Feed on Poplar, Willow and on occasions Sea Buckthorn Flies May/August #DuskyClearwing #MothsMatter

First Dotted Bee-fly in the garden today, one of three species I normally find throughout the year #Beefly

Franconian Lackey (Malacosoma franconicum) (Denis & Schiffermüller 1775)Turkey In the family Lasiocampidae Found in central and southern Europe, as well as Armenia. On the wing from June to August The larvae feed on Artemisia, Achillea, Plantago & Rumex species #Moths #MothsMatter #Turkey

A Moth (Synaphe bombycalis) (Denis & Schiffermüller 1775) Turkey Found in Spain, France, Austria, Italy, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Morocco, Turkmenistan & Kazakhstan Foodplant is Poaceae sp #Moths #Lepidoptera #Synaphebombycalis #MothsMatter #Turkey

Yew Artichoke Gall (Taxomyia taxi) I have been looking for this gall for ages and then 67 came along at once at two different sites Orange larva or pupa are inside. The galls eventually turn brown and can stay on the plant right through to the next year #Cecidomyiidae #Gall #Taxomyiataxi

Hornet Clearwing (Sesia apiformis) (Clerck 1759) Turkey Native to Europe and the Middle East I was lucky enough to see a Melanic form as well as the normal form whilst in Turkey The larvae bore into trees such as Black Poplar, Aspen #Turkey #NemrutCrater #HornetMoth #Moths #ClearwingMoth

Synanthedon stomoxiformis subsp amasina (Staudinger, 1856) Turkey Similar to a Large Red-belted in the UK Found in Asia Minor, Caucasus, northern Iran The larvae feed on the roots of Frangula alnus & Rhamnus cathartica #ClearwingMoth

“By removing trial by jury, Keir Starmer & David Lammy are abolishing the ultimate guarantee of independence in our criminal justice system, & are placing extraordinary, unprecedented & untrammelled power into the hands of whichever politicians come after them” thesecretbarrister.com/2026/03/07/k...

Fantastic talk this afternoon with Glos BC on the Butterflies of Colombia 🇨🇴 including some of the very cryptic species (pictured) Over 400 species were seen on this trip of the over 4000 butterfly species in the country 😮 @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Tomorrow in Stroud… #butterflies #butterfly @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Wow, this is an important paper. We had some evidence early on from @ukbms.bsky.social sites but rarely had good data in grazing regimes. But @tombrereton.bsky.social always said that extensive cattle was the best for butterflies and this add yet more evidence

Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus) (Linnaeus 1767) Turkey Also known as Pea Blue Found in Europe, Africa, S/ SE Asia and Australia as well as Hawaii Habitats include forest edge,meadows & flowery places The larvae feed Fabaceae #Butterflies #LongtailedBlueButterfly #Lampidesboeticus #Turkey

Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae ssp. turcica) (Staudinger, 1871) Turkey Subspecies is found in Southern Europe, Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Kopet Dagh, Central Asia Foodplants include Stinging Nettle and Small Nettle #Butterflies #Aglaisurticaesspturcica #SmallTortoiseshell #Turkey #Lepidoptera

Idas Blue (Plebejus idas) (Linnaeus 1761) Turkey AKA Northern Blue & in Turkish, Esmergöz. Similar to the Silver Studded Blue June and August Habitats are diverse grassy flowery places Foodplants include various legumes #IdasBlueButterfly #Plebejusidas #Butterflies #Turkey #NorthernBlue

BREAKING: A wonderful speech from Green Party's Hannah Spencer after winning the Gorton and Denton by-election. Congratulations!

Synaphe moldavica (Esper 1794) Turkey A lovely little moth in the family Pyralidae with a wingspan of 28–30 mm Found in a large part of Europe, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and Iran Larvae feed on Gramineae species of grass #Moths #Turkey #MothsMatter #Lepidoptera

European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) (Linnaeus 1758) Turkey Breed in S & C Europe, N & S Africa & W Asia As the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets They can eat around 250 bees a day #EuropeanBeeeater #Meropsapiaster #Birds #Turkey #Ornithology

#talk #butterflies

Black-headed Bunting (Emberiza melanocephala) (Scopoli 1769) Turkey S-E Europe to Iran & migrate in winter mainly to India Adult males are well marked with yellow underparts, chestnut back & a black head. Females plumage look duller Habitat includes open scrubby areas inc agricultural land #Turkey

Armenian Gull (Larus armenicus) (Buturlin 1934) Turkey Originally classified as a sub-species of Herring Gull Adults have a prominent black band across the bill. Wingtips are extensively black with little white Found beside mountain lakes in Georgia, Armenia, Turkey & to W Iran #Larusarmenicus

@savebutterflies.bsky.social Come join us for this wonderful talk on Butterflies of Colombia #Stroud #Gloucestershire

Marsh Frog (Pelophylax ridibundus) (Pallas 1771) Turkey A water frog native to Europe & C Asia The largest type of frog in most of its range Inhabit a variety of different types of water bodies. Marsh frogs hibernate during the winter either underwater or in burrows #Turkey

Greek Tortoise (Testudo graeca) (Linnaeus 1758) Turkey They are recognized for their longevity, with verified lifespans exceeding 100 years and anecdotal reports suggesting ages over 125 years Found in North Africa, S Europe and SW Asia Habitats include barren hillsides, dry open steppes #Turkey

Graceful Willow Centaurea (Centaurea saligna) (K.Koch 1963) Turkey Asteraceae family Height of 30 to 70 centimetres. Its stems are slender and upright, supporting a rosette of narrow, elongated leaves that can grow up to 8 centimetres long It thrives in well-drained soils #Turkey

Farage's fossil-fuel-financed gang of privately-educated former Tories wants to scrap the Equality Act, halt action on the climate crisis and frack the UK. A vote for Farage is a vote for Trumpist politics in the UK: www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

A Spider (Aculepeira armida) (Audouin 1826) Gevas, Turkey Family Araneidae, found in N Africa, S Europe, W Asia, & C Asia Colour orange, brown to red with a dark fringed, whitish oak leaf-shaped figure Found in the Summer on low plants and shrubs in dry areas and along rivers #Spider #Turkey