Bee 🐝 or snail 🐌 ? The red-tailed mason bee is iconic, nesting in snail shells to protect eggs from predators. Female bees will seal the shell shut with mashed up leaves and decorate it with bits of stem and leaf, a great camouflage.

Over 70% of Gloucestershire’s land is farmed! The way we farm has a huge impact on everything from hedgehogs and barn owls to bees, rivers and wildflowers. Our fabulous Farming Advisor Tim visited Norton Court Farm in the Severn Vale to chat with Debbie Wilkins about farming with nature in mind.

Happy #WorldBeeDay! Bees make the world go around, as they are vital for wildlife and our food systems. Join us in our mission to restore their habitat, native grasslands, to Gloucestershire.

Exciting things happening in Podsmead today🌳 Our Neighbourhood Nature project, in partnership with Blackbridge, planted trees today as part of a bigger plan to support communities around Gloucester to have their voices heard, take leadership and green their local area.

Our Youth Rangers having fun-filled naturey action at Robinswood Hill, where they do a lot of practical work for wildlife and wild places. 🎥 Watch the reel to see more.

Check out Harry, our Land Manager West, planting true fox sedge at Coombe Hill Nature Reserve and explaining why this plant is so important for biodiversity 🌱

Today is Save the Frogs Day 🐸 Frogs may seem common in the UK, but their numbers have dropped sharply. Habitat loss is a major cause, with ponds filled in for development, leaving fewer breeding sites. Many are also killed on roads during migration. 📸 Clark Warren

Our photography competition returns with the Species Spotlight category. Showcase Gloucestershire’s native wildlife, from wildflowers to mammals, reptiles to liverwort, fungi to birds. https://www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/photography-competition-2026 📷Katherine Boon

Can you spot the eggs? On cuckoo flowers at this time of year, look closely and you might spot tiny orange dots, a bit like mini tic-tacs, which are the eggs of orange-tip butterflies. 🧡 Soon, they'll develop and get darker, before the caterpillars hatch and leave behind a translucent casing. 🐛

Happy Earth Day and Birthday! We are proud to celebrate two years of Youth Rangers, the young volunteers boosting wildlife on our nature reserves. In two years, they have reseeded meadows, planted hedges, built bug hotels and much more.

Today we announced that Gloucestershire is moving one step closer to the potential return of beavers, as we work with Forestry England begin the next phase of the Severn Vale Beaver Project to restore this native species to the county 🦫. 👉 https://ow.ly/5u5650YNsei 📷 David Parkyn

From hibernation to migration 💤. Who is arriving after a long treacherous journey, and who is only just waking up this April? 📷Amy Lewis, Jon Hawkins, Terry Whittaker, Richard Burkmarr, Hugh Clarke, Janet Packham, Jim Higham

Wild photography tips here 👇👇. We spoke to Helen Jackson-Garside, a talented wildlife photographer from Gloucestershire, to share her top tips for capturing nature. Take a look at the tips in this blog 👉 https://www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/blog/wild-photography-tips-2026

30 Days Wild sign ups are open! 🌳🐸🦎🐛💚 This June, take a breath and notice the nature around you. From spotting bugs in the garden to enjoying a walk in a local green space, 30 Days Wild is all about taking a moment to connect with the natural world. 👉 https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/30dayswild

What a fantastic Waterscapes Week we had earlier this month 💧. A huge thank you to everyone who came along and joined in the watery wildlife fun. It was brilliant to explore how nature-based solutions can help tackle flooding while creating more space for wildlife to thrive.

Look at these wonderful photos from a night walk across the reserve recently. Grab a UV 365 torch and some UV protective glasses, and get out there to see it for yourself. Please be extra careful never to shine a UV torch into the eyes of people or animals, as it can be very damaging.

Tom from our land management team has been out conducting a reptile survey. What did he find?

Welcome bluebell season! Wild garlic is releasing its scent across Gloucestershire, and woodpeckers are drumming. If you hear a cackle in the woods, don't be scared - it may be the green woodpecker's signature yaffle. 📷 Terry Stevenson, Andrew Mason, Paul Rumbles, Robert Harrison, Richard Burkmar

Check out our Wild Trainees taking a riverfly survey and testing river health by checking for key invertebrates. This part of the Frome, flowing through one of our nature reserves by Knapp Lane, had a score of 11, suggesting that the water is clean and healthy!

Check out our Spring starter pack 🌸🦋 Have you spotted your first swallow or butterfly yet? #EducationAndSharingDay #SpringStarterPack

This cased caddisfly is a crafty genius, weaving its own case out of sand and other bits from the riverbed. Riverflies can only survive in clean water, making them excellent indicators of river health.

A reminder that fires are not allowed on nature reserves - even if there’s already a burnt patch. Fires can spread, causing wildfires that risk wildlife, grazing animals, and livelihoods. They leave damage and litter, and ashes may reignite. Report fires to 999.

We're recruiting 📣. We're looking for an Assistant Catering Manager to join the GWT café team at our Robinswood Hill and Crickley Hill cafés. Find out more and apply via our website 👇 https://www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/jobs/assistant-catering-manager 📷 Andy Rouse/2020VISION

Stop scrolling 👀 🎶 Listen to this brook and see why volunteer Sue is checking its health #WaterGuardians

Eight bags of litter collected Mez joined 25 children and eight adults from The Altus School for a litter pick, separating recyclable materials as they went. School teacher said the children absolutely loved the trip and enjoyed the opportunity to make a difference while having fun in the sunshine

What wildlife have you seen this month? Here's some of the species you might have started to notice as we move into spring 🌼. Hedgehog 📷 Nick Upton, chiffchaff 📷 John Bridges, common lizard and bee 📷 Jon Hawkins, slow worm 📷 Niall Benvie, brimstone butterfly 📷Jim Higham

Many threatened bird species nest on, or near, the ground - including skylarks and nightjars. Ground nests are well-camouflaged, so please leave them undisturbed by sticking to the paths, keeping dogs on leads and taking litter home with you.

Are you ready for some moth myth busting?

Queen buff-tailed bumblebees have recently emerged from overwintering 🐝! They are very messy builders and their colonies are a haphazard mix of cocoons, wax and pollen, unlike the neat hexagonal arrangement of honey bees.

Pine martens are one of the UK's largest mustelids, surpassed only by the European badger and Eurasian otter. They use the cover of darkness to avoid human interaction and predation, navigating the forest floor with ease thanks to their nocturnal vision. 🎥 Roger Inglis

Happy first day of spring! Which part are you most looking forward to? Vote in the comments below 😎😍🥰🤩

Lights, camera, action! 🎬 Join Katie Hall, our Nature Nurtures Officer on a team day at Robinswood Hill

Mallards might just win the wildlife award for best mum. They care for their ducklings, teaching them the ways of the world - how to find food, stay safe from predators and cross roads safely. Here's to all the strong, inspiring mums out there 🐤🐣 #mothersday

Still haven’t sent a card to Mum? 😅 Send a heartfelt eCard in seconds and make a difference for wildlife too! 🐾 Check out our Mother’s Day eCards 👇 https://ow.ly/SFNm50YseWA 📷 Jon Hawkins #mothersday #fox

Hazel dormice sleep a lot and are considered one of the sleepiest mammals, often spending up to three-quarters of the year asleep. They are famously nocturnal, spending their days sleeping in nests, and hibernate for 6–7 months from October to April to survive cold, food-scarce winter months.

We've got a heart of frog spawn at Robinswood Hill! 🐸💚 Have you seen any frog spawn yet? Let us know in the comments. You may also spot toad spawn, which looks similar but is laid in strings of eggs rather than jelly-like clumps, and is often wrapped round vegetation.

Our colleagues Tina and Sue joined the toad patrol last week and were excited to be part of a successful night. They helped 24 toads safely cross the road and make it back to their pond. Sadly, 3 didn’t make it - which really shows why these patrols matter so much at this time of year. 🐸

🦡It’s #WorldWildlifeDay Spring has almost sprung! The first blossoms are out and the chiff chaffs are chirping. Tell us about your own wildlife sightings in the comments 🔎👀

Wow… check out the number of birds recorded on our wildlife cam at Ullenwood! 🐦🦅🦜🐤 🎥 Mike Bailey

Waking up to 2026... what species might you see coming out of hibernation in February? Photo Credits - common toad 📷Tom Marshall, common frog 📷 Martin Mere, smooth newt 📷 Shirley Freeman, white-tailed bumblebee 📷 Tom Marshall

Check out this dung beetle diagram by Dilly Williams. Conservation grazing helps wildlife by providing dung, which dung beetles use for food and breeding. These beetles are also eaten by tawny owls and bats, especially as moth numbers drop.

When deadwood is not just dead wood 🪵 The Dead Wood Society emphasizes the importance of dead and decaying wood for wildlife, supporting countless invertebrates and fungi. Read the blog: https://www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/blog/will-masefield/when-deadwood-not-just-dead-wood

🌳🍎 Pruning an apple tree in one of our traditional orchards. The aim is to open up this young tree and reduce crowding by removing crossing, rubbing, and diseased branches. This boosts fruit quality and yield, and helps extend the tree’s life so it can reach veteran status, 50 plus years.

Our volunteer Paul spotted a Slavonian Grebe at Coombe Hill last month - possibly the first recorded sighting here, according to the Gloucestershire Centre for Environmental Records. The bird was seen diving for around 30 minutes before flying toward the scrapes. © Paul Clark

According to this robin... singles day is IN. Head out for a walk, listen to the birds, or connect with nature in your own way!

Ladybirds are red Kingfishers are blue We have some Valentine's memes just for you

A supporter in Forest of Dean kindly shared his garden cam footage that captured pine martens 🦝. Have you got interesting cam footage? 📹 Share it via [email protected] with your name and the location. 🎥 Govinda Bork

Me at a party trying to find someone I know 👀🦦

In late winter and early spring, many birds of prey begin to display. On bright, dry mornings they take to the air and circle, dive or in some cases even lock talons with their mate, strengthening pair bonds and defending their territory. Have you seen any displaying birds of prey?

It’s World Wetlands Day! Wetlands support rich wildlife, including dragonflies and migratory birds. Our nature reserves like Coombe Hill Canal and Ashleworth also act as floodplains, reducing flooding and storing sediment and carbon, even when submerged in winter. #WorldWetlandsDay