We've been engaging farmers with moth monitoring from the Chilterns to Pembrokeshire. Using portable bucket traps and an AI based app - farmers love uncovering hidden biodiversity! Read my blog here: www.ceh.ac.uk/news-and-med... @ukceh.bsky.social @mjopocock.bsky.social #mothsmatter #TeamMoth

Not long now till the Kent Wildlife Conference. Have you booked your (very reasonably priced) place? Ten speakers, covering bees, botany, beavers and much more, plus lunch and refreshments all included. Let's all meet IRL! Book now at tinyurl.com/kentwildconf. #KentWildlife

Also from Castle Coote yesterday, this smart-looking Short-winged Conehead male. What it was doing right out on the saltmarsh, I'm not sure. #Orthoptera #ukorthoptera #KentNature

On yesterday's @kentfieldclub.bsky.social meeting at Castle Foote on the North Kent coast, I was really pleased to find the rare ground bug Henestaris halophilus in numbers across the saltmarsh. Habitat shot has notes in alt text. #bugs #truebugs #Hemiptera #KentNature @britishbugs.bsky.social

Male & female Stripe-winged Grasshoppers seen last week at Crickley Hill CP in Gloucs. Males are less strikingly marked than females (though with redder tails) but the very broad forewing with elongated cells in the dark central area and a prominent white 'stigma' can be seen in both sexes.

Some of the seven Spurgebug nymphs on the front wall of the house this pm. Presumably must be Dicranocephalus medius as we're on the North Downs in Kent. #bugs #truebugs #Hemiptera #KentNature

NYC's finest with one of the greatest invertebrate-themed songs ever.

Labour haven't learned any lessons from the past and are looking to involve private finance in the building of new 'neighbourhood health centres'. And Reform can't wait to sell off our precious NHS. Only the Green Party stands for a health service run for people, not profit.

Excited to get my copy of Endemic by @bsbicountries.bsky.social today. Not because *ahem* I'm in the chapter on Interrupted Brome, but because of the many other spp & subsp to explore - some of which (like Great Orme's Graylings) I realise I've already seen without realising their significance.

Spent the afternoon in part of the new North Kent Woods & Downs NNR. Was looking for Hop-garden Earwig (a no-show) but did find some nice bugs: Iassus scutellaris, Vernal Shieldbug Peribalus strictus & Asiraca clavicornis. #KentNature #NNR #bugs #Hemiptera @naturalengland.bsky.social

What very much appears to be European Spruce Sawfly Gilpinia hercyniae, tapped from a spruce at the weekend. Apparently the first Kent record. #KentNature #sawfly #sawflies #Symphyta

Hoop, hoop, hoop. Just sayin'.

One of two pairs of Willow Emerald Damselflies hanging round our small garden pond this afternoon. #Damselfly #Damselflies #Odonata #pondlife #KentNature

Tussock-sedges reflected in the Beverley Beck, during an excellent bus-and-train powered trip to Hull and Beverley this week ... #Beverley #Yorkshire #sedges

Just catching up with the latest issue of British Wildlife. This lead article on wilding/rewilding is an absolutely spot-on summary. A must read. Well done @britishwildlife.bsky.social. #wilding #rewilding

Yes, planting does have a role to play in bringing back forest, where seed sources are no longer present. But just be aware that it will NEVER produce the sort of unique, diverse trees you get in the wild.

For the last weekly challenge, we want to know what was your favourite plant that you’ve spotted from across Britain and Ireland this year? Share your pics for #wildflowerhour this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #favouriteplant and we’ll celebrate it with you! 🥳🌿🌸

Does anyone know of papers documenting the impact of Asian Hornets on insect populations (other than Honey Bees)? A statement on the Kent Downs National Landscape site says "In other parts of Europe, their arrival has led to huge declines in native insects" and I'd be interested to know more.

Some insects at Doddington Churchyard today. Spiked Shieldbug, Lime-speck Pug, & Ivy Bee. First two are new records for the site. @caringforgodsacre.bsky.social #Hemiptera #Shieldbugs #KentMoths #bees #KentNature

Tiny (3mm) Ant on the office desk this afternoon (East Malling). ObsIdentify comes up with Crematogaster scutellaris (mainly). Possibly rare: probably imported. @ianbeavis.bsky.social @kentgrasshoppers.bsky.social @kentfieldclub.bsky.social

Pick of the trap was this stunning Cosmopterix pulchrimella. A Pellitory-of-the-wall feeder & first discovered in Britain in 2001.

No other party says the basic truth: migration is good for Britain. The real problem? Inequality, soaring bills, underfunded public services. That’s driven by the greed of the super rich and the Labour government who serve them - not by migrants.

OK Blue Sky, you've got me looking for #MicroLadybirds. Now I just have to get them to stay still so I can focus the camera. Meadow Ladybird Rhizobius litura & Ivy Ladybird Nephus quadrimaculatus from the garden, & Red-flanked Ladybird Scymnus interruptus from local churchyard. #KentNature

"Leaders across the political spectrum are protecting the fossil-fuel status quo at the very moment scientists warn we need rapid, transformative change." theconversation.com/politicians-...

Irreplaceable meadows need protecting📢📢 We wouldn’t let historic buildings like the Houses of Parliament get knocked down and built somewhere else. So why would we let ancient meadows? Join us in asking the government to safeguard these incredible habitats. #IrreplaceableMeadows

You mustn't miss this year's Kent Wildlife Conference! Speakers include @trevorthebotanist.bsky.social, @ianbeavis.bsky.social, Scarlett from @bumblebeetrust.bsky.social, Ben from @beavertrust.bsky.social and many more! For full details & to book now, go to tinyurl.com/kentwildconf. #kentnature

Highly interesting research by Tamsin Lockwood and colleagues now published in a paper titled "Semi-natural grasslands as a nature-based solution for climate change mitigation: An assessment of carbon and plant communities across age gradients" www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Purple colour form of Rufous Grasshopper at Folkestone Warren on Friday. Not a variety I've noticed before, but it is in the books. #grasshoppers #Orthoptera #ukorthoptera #KentNature

Two surprising bug finds at home today. Rhyparachromus vulgaris (new to GB in 2010) actually in the house; and the very local Megalonotus praetextatus, running across the paving outside the front door! #bugs #truebugs #Hemiptera #KentNature

@zackpolanski.bsky.social "We need more council homes, we need more investment in the NHS. I agree but none of that is the problem of migrants. The problem is multi millionaires & billionaires not paying enough tax & not enough investment in public services. Those are all political choices"

Cock's-spur grass flourishing in an alley in Faversham. Plenty of shed seed beneath the plants. #KentNature #PavementPlants #UrbanFlora

We’re going up at a rate of 700 signatures an hour currently. In the time it took me to boil the kettle it went up by 50. Keep the message in minds folks. Fair coverage is what we want so we hear from ALL parties not just the narrative of one. Sign and pass on petition.parliament.uk/petitions/71...

I'm verifying what I'd describe as a steady trickle of Mantis religiosa records from the English south coast this year, but this one wins hands-down for numbers. Fabulous - bring them on!

Nice find while out for a walk locally - Black-thighed Epeolus (Epeolus variegatus), a cuckoo of Colletes bees. #bees #hymenoptera #KentNature

Not long now till the 2025 Kent Wildlife Conference! This year's themes are urban biodiversity and citizen science - check out the impressive list of speakers here - www.kentfieldclub.org.uk/programme/up... Also - tickets only £22 including refreshments and lunch! So why not book your place today?

Almost every newspaper and broadcaster in Britain is now waging a racist 24/7 campaign of hatred against migrants on behalf of the ultra rich. In response to this, one small thing you can do is donate to the NGOs supporting refugees.

This touching obituary is a lovely tribute to Mathew Frith. As well as being a longstanding Fellow of the Society, Mathew was a member of our Council and made valuable contributions to our events and engagement programme. He will be deeply missed.

Collapse of critical Atlantic current is no longer low likelihood, study finds - Scientists say ‘shocking’ discovery shows rapid cuts in carbon emissions are needed to avoid catastrophic impacts #climatecrisis #AMOC www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The very richest in society currently produce 10 times more carbon through their domestic travel than the rest of us. And this is set to rise to 13 times by 2035. The threat to our environment isn't migrants or disabled people. It's the super-rich laughing at us from above.

He caused havoc with Brexit. Don’t let him do it again - here’s five red flags about what Farage said today. Hit share to show him we see through him.

Smart male Stripe-winged Grasshopper from grassland at Holly Hill on the Birling Estate me Snodland today. #Orthoptera #ukorthoptera #grasshoppers #KentNature

Declaration of famine in Gaza lays bare Israel’s disregard for humanitarian duty

The rare leafhopper Iassus scutellaris, beaten from elm at Toll Wood, Lynsted on Friday. Lots of large woodland and hedgerow elms at this remarkable, small site. #bugs #truebugs#truebugs #hemiptera

Heath Cudweed flowering in local woodland yesterday, a plant first spotted on a Kent Botanical Recording Group meeting in early July. #botany #KentBotany #KentNature @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Spotted Spurge Euphorbia maculata in Birchington-on-Sea today. #PavementPlants #UrbanFlora #KentNature

Following the post by @vc40orthops.bsky.social regarding Short-winged Earwig at Wye Downs, I thought I'd produce an up-to-date map of records I hold for Kent. There are worryingly few records from 2000 onwards (black dots) - or is it just overlooked? #earwigs #dermaptera #KentNature

Chuffed to find Short-winged Earwig, Apterygida media in good numbers, in grass tussocks at Wye NNR, Kent with @rockwolf74.bsky.social yesterday. A very pleasant surprise! @kentgrasshoppers.bsky.social

Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers like lots of woodland, but not woodland management and forestry. Interesting implications for the remaining populations in Britain: expanding unmanaged (or lightly managed) natural native woodland seems helpful. #ukbirding #ornithology

Popped out into the garden for a quick sweep with the net, and almost immediately caught 3 Scarce Tortoise Shieldbugs. (I flipped them over to check). #shieldbugs #hemiptera #truebugs #Kentnature @britishbugs.bsky.social

Second trip to look for Blue-winged Grasshopper at Cheriton. Success this time, spotting just one, though never close enough to photograph. Bigger surprise perhaps was a Greater Streaked Shieldbug, spotted by Dan Bennett. #shieldbugs #grasshoppers #KentNature