Here's a summary of the Bedfordshire butterfly season so far. Thanks for all the records. They are mapped in iMap here: www.keithbalmer.com/bedsbutterfl... Click on a square to see its species list. Choose other mapping options from the drop-down list.

I've added a first-day and last-day phenology graph to each Bedfordshire butterfly species account on www.bedsbutterflies.org.uk with a trend line showing change since 1990. This is Comma's. Global warming effect at the local level...

@lizziebruce.bsky.social Melissa and I had a great day at Welney yesterday - lots of species inc 3 Otters. She commented on the large numbers of Shoveler we saw and I meant to ask a member of staff if that was usual for the time of year or is the water depth just right for them at present?

Lovely walk in. Bedfordshire wood this afternoon to see the wild Narcissus and also Wood Anemones and even a couple of Bluebells out.

Melissa and I just watched the first episode of Aillte by @cormacscoast.bsky.social on TG4 - it's a really good watch. Easy to get the TG4 player on our smart TV and the programme has English subtitles. Looking forward to watching the other episode tomorrow. www.tg4.ie/en/player/ca...

One of 3 cases of CV Coleophora saturatella on the same Broom plant in east Beds vc30 this afternoon the 8th county record. All the Beds records are in the same area of the county across 2 sites. #TeamMoth

Some Leafmines still to be found in Bedfordshire on Boxing Day. Ectoedemia rubivora in Dewberry/Bramble, Liriomyza pascuum in Wood Spurge and the ubiquitous Phytomyza chaerophylli in Cow Parsley. rubivora had evaded us this year until now. #TeamMoth

New study confirms that short wavelength light (UV & blue) attracts the most nocturnal insects & that intensity increases attraction for all colours. Longer wavelength & lower intensity outdoor lights should reduce biodiversity impacts resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #teammoth 🌍

Phyllonorycter pastorella mine on Crack Willow and Aulagromyza heringii on Ash. Both new leafmines to site for @englishheritage.bsky.social Wrest Park. Also a few other added along with several gall species. #TeamMoth

Picked up our copy of the excellent new Bedfordshire avifauna at the launch event today. It is 31 years since the last was published and this is so much more. 500 pages and a superb job with all monies going to 2 reserves in the county. Get it now via the Bedfordshire Bird Club website.

@ashwhiffin.bsky.social excellent film just now on Gardeners World. Great encouragement to enhance the biodiversity of sites

Hi Entomological peeps. I am stuck on an id even to genus of this larva on Hazel in The Burren Co Clare Ireland from early September. @gmtord.bsky.social @naturespotter.bsky.social

Hi bee people. Is this id to species please? B terrestris or lucorum or not splittable? Location north coast of County Clare Ireland early September @bexcartwright.bsky.social @bumble-being.bsky.social

Hi moth people. We are stuck on an id for this larva found on a Sea Aster stem on the north coast of County Clare West Ireland 2 weeks ago and would value any suggestions of the id. It looks like it should be in Geometridae... @rlewington2.bsky.social @gmtord.bsky.social #TeamMoth

A nice find by Melissa this evening was a Wormwood larva on Mugwort. Only the 2nd time we have found this cryptic species. #TeamMoth

I photographed this Small Ranunculus larva on Prickly Lettuce in a local.field edge this evening and it wasn't until.I looked at the photo that I spotted there was a second larva behind! These things are v cryptic though... #TeamMoth

To all moth trappers out there Do you have any humerous stories regarding moths and moth trapping?any mishaps/memorable moments etc. I did hear of a trap getting hit by lightning once?My father is writing a book and he wants to include some quirky moth elements into a short fictional story #teammoth

I think these are newly hatched Shildbugs maybe but which species? @rockwolf74.bsky.social

Nice to have a v fresh Tissue on the garden trap on Monday night. Last caught one here on the v first night we trapped in July 2003. #TeamMoth

One of the mice things of being a County Moth Recorder is the interactions with recorders. A Sunday afternoon visit to a couple in Bedfordshire who found an Oleander Hawk-moth in their garden was enhanced by both a nice chat and cuppa and finding Phytomyza aconiti leafmines new to vc30. #TeamMoth

A few early summer miners from this afternoon at Gypsy Lane East NR in Beds whilst birding. Etainia louisella in a Samara of Field Maple, Phyllonorycter coryli in Hazel, Profenusa pygmaea in Oak and Heterarthrus wuestneii in Field Maple.

Bookings are going well so don’t miss out on the BENHS Harvestman workshop with Meg Skinner and her new test British key to ID them . . . To book: mail [email protected] providing a mobile contact number.

Ethmia quadrillella on its larval foodplant Comfrey today. The 2nd earliest record in the county. This was at the new Greensand Trust Clophill Lakes NR

Two moth larvae from Monday evening - Blossom Underwings on Oak and Sprawler on Holm Oak. Melissa found the Blossom Underwing, a new larva for us and a new site for it in the county

Leafmines and cases from this evening in Beds vc30. Acrocercops brongniardella and Eriocrania subpurpurella mines in Oak, Coleophora hemerobiella on Apple and C conspicuella on Knapweed.

Mullein moth larvae on Great Mullein in our village Baptist Church garden that Melissa looks after. The earliest larval record in the county by 5 days. At least 19 present so they will eat a fair bit of the plants

Melissa found these Andricus quercusramuli falls on Oak at a site in Bedfordshire today. Apparently they are quite uncommonly seen and were certainly new to us.

An unexpected find today was a Scarlet Tiger larva on Geum in Old Sulehay vc32. Also a terrible back on shot of Rhagium mordax - not seen one of these for ages

Tonight's nature themed beer :-)

1/2 More puparia of Melanagromyza aeneoventris found today in Beds vc30. All in old dead flower stems of Ragwort. Go for the thickest stems you can find that are not damaged at the base, cut with secateurs at ground level and split the stem. All were in the bottom 10cm of the stem.

Finally got to 100 bird species for the year so far in UK with Yellowhammers late afternoon in N Herts. Still only 82 for Beds. Not actively chasing birds uses v local but enjoying getting back into more birding since Jan 2024.

Nice fresh Yellow Horned moth and several Gorse Shieldbugs at @rspb.bsky.social The Lodge this afternoon also 5+ Orange Underwings around the Birches and a pair of Brambling under the feeders. Also excellent cheese and onion pasty in the cafe :-) #TeamMoth

Birches against a blue sky, National Trust Anglesey Abbey today.

Museum folk, are you interested in supporting #biodiversity on your sites? 🐞🌱 Join me Thursday 23 January (2:30-3:30pm) to hear about our efforts to improve the grounds at the National Museums Collection Centre, Edinburgh 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/enhancing-... #NMCCbiodiversity

On another wildlife subject I am running the Bedfordshire Bird Club Christmas Birdhunt for its 23rd year - I have kept the running total and updates in all but the 1st year Currently we are collectively on 107 species in the county since 0000 on 25th See bedsbirdclub.org.uk/research-pro...

Happy Christmas all on here. The Hunter is ready for takeoff so may you be visited in the night with entomological gifts

Nice to find a larva of the Agromyzid fly Napomyza nigriceps inside a stem of Ground-ivy yesterday. @agrorecscheme.bsky.social tells me they remain as a larva over the winter pupariating around March time. #Diptera

Also yesterday in a wood on the eastern border of Bedfordshire were a couple of very fresh Leafmines of Fomoria septembrella and an old cone of Euspilapteryx auroguttella both in St John's Wort. #TeamMoth

A chilly and v muddy wander in a wood on the eastern edge of Bedfordshire yesterday afternoon resulted in adding Ectoedemia quinquella to the site and the first records since the 1990s for 2 10km squares. Also a nice mine of Stigmella basiguttella all in fallen Oak leaves #TeamMoth

I've joined Bluesky! Hoping to follow and be followed by many of my X/Twitter friends. Please Retweet/Repost or whatever the word is. #invertebrates #insects #moths #dragonflies #wildlife

This weekend's reading has turned up :-)

Two of my favourite paintings in our house - Grey-breasted Mountain-Toucans near the pepper farm in Elfin Forest on the Manu Road Peru by Eustace Barnes and Long-eared Owls in the Lea Valley Herts by Ernest Leahy. Both places where we have seen these species so special memories.

Melissa just found this in the study so listening to it as I dissect some moths and she dissects some Long-eared Owl pellets

Excellent news (as a BENHS member myself) :-)

1/2 Agromyzidae Leafmines from vc30 on Saturday afternoon. Still to be found on the last day in November were Phytomyza ranunculi in Ranunculus, Phytomyza chaerophylli in Cow Parsley, Agromyza nigrescens in Geranium and Phytomyza glechomae in Ground Ivy #LeafMiners

Two lep mine seen local to me in Beds vc30 on Saturday afternoon were Ectoedemia rubivora in a Rubus prob Dewberry and several miles of Bucculatrix frangutella in Purging Buckthorn #LeafMiners #TeamMoth

Best moth Leafmines this afternoon were Bucculatrix ulmifoliae in a smooth leaved Elm species but also lots of mines of Ectoedemia quinquella in Oak and Stigmella viscerella in Elm

A surprise find this afternoon was another Bedfordshire Phillyreae latifolia with plenty of mines of the Agromyzidae fly Phytomyza Phillyreae which Melissa and I discovered new to the UK and Northern Europe in Bedfordshire a few years back. #Flies #Leafminers

Leafmines of Phytomyza glechomae and feeding signs of Coleophora albitarsella on Ground Ivy under a hedge on the edge of the village this afternoon. Beds vc3p