5/ Some wings have evolved strategies to help reduce damage resulting from collisions. For example, we learned a few years ago that wasp wings have a flexible joint that acts like a reversible crumple zone, allowing the wing tip to easily bend out of the way when it hits things...

Excellent day in the Wyre Forest, Shropshire with fungi, ants, 60 Crossbills and the highlight a lovely female Araneus alsine (Strawberry Spider) found by Denise B on Neil's trousers (not their preferred habitat). nth try for these for me - what a belter! @lancefly.bsky.social #spiders #ukwildlife

The @bsbibotany.bsky.social @bsbicymru.bsky.social announce rediscovery of Holly Fern on Cwm Idwal after going missing for 150+ years. See markavery.info/2025/09/17/b...

Out for a walk in Shropshire today and I chanced across a nice pile of rotting logs. Did a quick sweep and got lots of Clusiodes gentilis plus a nice Piophilid: Allopiophila luteata. Made a good walk a very good walk. Always carry a net and tubes! @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @pilning.bsky.social

Nearing the end of a challenging job from Tenerife, just 90 Sarcophagidae to go! 😥 At least this one doesn't look like all of the others; Miltogramma aurifrons. Still available for ID and imaging projects, UK and Europe dipteraid.co.uk/specimeniden... Please share if possible

A really snazzy 2mm wasp from a vane trap sample. Any idea what this might be @arnoldtortoise.bsky.social ?

This is the sort of garden "pest" we want!

One impressive bee: www.flickr.com/photos/nico_...

When you feel something crawling on the back of your hand and look down to find what turns out to be one of the UK’s rarest Sawflies mistaking you for a Willow leaf it’s helpful to be standing a few feet away from a local and national Sawfly Recorder: the beautiful Arge enodis (Clophill Lakes, Beds)

Female black darter rising moon taken back in 2018- Highly Commended in British Wildlife Photography Awards. Sadly in the last week I have only found 2 up on the Long Mynd - bog pools nearly dried up and this lovely species in decline. @omsystem.bsky.social @britishdragonflies.bsky.social

More flies; Coenosia ruficornis (Muscidae), Empis femorata (Empididae) & Hybos culiciformis (Hybotidae). #flies #dipteraid #dipteraimaging Available for ID and imaging projects, please see dipteraid.co.uk/specimeniden... dipteraid.co.uk/macrophotogr... Please share if possible

Good grief, tinier and tinier

Good. The decision 8 years ago by the BBC to part company with the Met Office was lamentable. I'm very happy at this news www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Bluesky CEO Jay Graber emphasized the importance of critical thinking and developing a generalist skillset for the AI era.

I don't want advice like this, based on a study of just 10 people. What use is that? Bloody stupid. Guardian, you must do better!

For a change a well done story regarding the banking sector. My bank HSBC alerted me to several transactions for over £800. The payments were blocked until I could confirm or deny them. They were fraudulent and a phone call to an actual human soon got the payments deleted. Good work HSBC!

No more Beewashing please! Why beekeeping doesn't help conserve bees. Pls RT if you agree. youtu.be/fiBYBmlKSYU

A shot from the garden Lasioglossum roost this morning. I didn't get to the roost until 8:00 AM, by which time most of last night's 18 individuals had dispersed for the day. Quite pleased with this shot though.

I was very wrong (good) Yesterday was not the end days for my garden male Lasioglossum roost. Although I only found 4 this morning at 07:40 hrs., this evening at 21:00 hrs. 18 were in the roost. I wonder if these are all original roost members or newly recruited bees?

End days for the garden male Lasioglossum roost. I returned yesterday from 4 nights away to find 12 males in the roost at 20:40 hrs, with two others predated by a spider. Tonight just 4 are in the roost (21:20 hrs). 2 more had been spider predated last night. 6 have gone missing in action today.

Gotta love this stuff www.clactonandfrintongazette.co.uk/news/2530342...

4 July update: More photos of the male Lasioglossum roost (have to take the opportunity to keep grabbing photos). 4 July morning wake up. Some of these males had not dispersed by 11:40 hours and some were already arriving back by 13:00 today. A cool overcast day with strong breeze.

3 July roost update. Tonight the boys had mostly settled in by 6PM and they have shown a strong preference for a single ribwort plantain seedhead. Last night they were dispersed over the same seedhead plus grass stems and buttercup seedheads.

1 July bee roost update: 22 males in residence at 09:00 hrs in overcast conditions at 20° C. In this photo the bees are starting to stir before some began to disperse.

Lasioglossum male roost Update: The roosting males had all dispersed by 9:00 hrs this morning. Let's see if and when they start coming back this afternoon. Meanwhile let me bore you with more pics taken last night at about 21:00 hrs and this morning at 07:30 hrs

Absolutely superb! I have a roost of Lasioglossum cf calceatum males in my garden. Maximum count so far 18. It's warm so thet are skittish and photographing them is hard. They have been building in numbers since about 16:30 hrs. This is just the best! Will give regular updates as it happens.

The very aptly named Coenia curvicauda (Coenia "curve tail"). Just look at those fancy nads! From a small wetland in Bicton, Shropshire.

Good. Very good. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Serious stuff occurring in mid Wales!

Huge congratulations to Worcester City FC on winning their play off final for back to back promotions. Great times!

I had a wonderful insect safari in my village wood, Gamlingay Wood LNR, this morning. It's hard to choose a Fly of the Day, one of these two probably. Conops vesicularis "Hornet Grabber" Fam. Conopidae. Criorhina asilica "Pale-banded Bearfly" Fam. Syrphidae.

Oh gosh. This is such dissapointing news. No more spectacular fireworks either. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Interesting distribution map for the Pteromalid wasp Callitula pyrrhogaster. Due to the efforts of a local band of naturalists, Shropshire is apparently the UK epicentre for this tiny wasp. These have mainly been found by suction sampling and very keen eyes.

Dolichopus diadema, from marshy areas on s'Albufereta NNR Mallorca 2023, showing the extended ventral part of the face. #dolichopodidae #ecology #dipterid #imaging Now taking on clients for Diptera identification from UK, North, Central and Southern Europe. www.dipteraid.co.uk Please share. thanks

Extremely overdue project started today and it's going to be a long, long haul. My overflowing reference collection will be expanded into new draws and boxes. First to get attention are the Muscidae, which have degenerated into a chaotic mess. Expecting to finish in about 2 years time!

2 unexpected finds in the mid March sunshine at a fen in north Shropshire on Wednesday. The rarely recorded Angioneura acerba, and an unusual inland record for the shore fly Philtotelma nigripenne. A good start to the Diptera spring season!

2️⃣ International business consultancy Deloitte reports that continued inaction will cost the world $178 trillion. 💷 But accelerating Net Zero will deliver a $43 trillion benefit. www.deloitte.com/global/en/ab...

Following the excellent workshop on shoreflies by @sjthomasbotany.bsky.social and Dave Gibbs the key and other resources are noe available to DF members, see dipterists.org.uk/news/new-res... plus the start of an Ephydridae group on Flickr www.flickr.com/groups/ephyd...

Garden treat in the March sunshine. This Pogonocherus hispidus paid us a visit today. Shrewsbury, UK.

This is Macrocillix maia & he's a moth who mimics bird poo. But he's taken it to the next level, he's also mimicking flies feeding on the bird poo, right down to the shimmer of their wings! I have wanted to see one for so long, but never thought I would! In Trus Madi entomology camp in Borneo. 1/2

First Anthophora plumipes of 2025 this afternoon. A single female feeding at winter honeysuckle flowers.

Comprehensive true flies ID service for ecological consultancies, landowners, govt agencies, conservation orgs; all sizes of projects undertaken. 1st fly this year (in the house), Hydrophoria linogrisea, Anthomyiidae, larvae found under bark, assumed predatory. www.dipteraid.co.uk #ecology #flies

Searching for winter active Heleomyzidae on a recently dead Muntjac on Wednesday, yielded a Shropshire first Neoleria propinqua. Also present were Crumomyia fimetaria & Spelobia clunipes (Sphaeroceridae) Unrelated, but does anyone know what this very dome shaped Chrysomelidae is? Oomorphus perhaps?

My first male Osmia cornuta for 2025. This is one of the bees that has shrunk the most in size over the past few decades. 40 years ago it weighed on average 67 mg, now it has shrunk down to 54 mg, or a ~20%. Fore more details on Cazorla'a shrinking bees see our study here doi.org/10.1002/ecy....

The EU is leaving X! I love this! I finally feel seen! 😅 😭 💙 #eXit

Fans of lesser dung flies - Sphaeroceridae will be mildly intrigued by this product:

Tonight I am mainly doing Empidoidea. Apologies to the Fast Show.

The Worcester News is using AI (artificial intelligence) to generate some of its content. It's not quite working is it?

Lucilia sp. It is the insect that brought me to macro photography and which makes me feel an incredible awe of nature and evolution. Millions of generations, perfectly adapted with countless hairs, sensors and fascinating eyes. Usually, living with us and known… until you take a closer look.

Writing my own key to the genera of Nearctic Anthomyiidae... (Won't be perfect because it is a bit expedited but pretty much ANYTHING is better than the Manual of Nearctic Diptera key)