Will George

A top down view of a brown springtail with black markings. The body is long and thin, and the black markings towards the tail do not form a complete U, so this is Entomobrya intermedia.

A blurry photo of a very small springtail with a black body with two white bands and an orangey tail. This is Entomobrya albicincta

A largely red coloured globular springtail on a black reflective background. This is Dicyrtoma fusca

Classic February entomologising of shaking ivy and seeing what falls out. Answer, lots of very small springtails which can be photographed to various degrees of blurriness. Entomobrya intermedia, Entomobrya albicincta and Dicyrtoma fusca - probably all in a hedge near you...

Green Leaf-hopper, Cicadella viridis. Male left, female right.

Leafhoppers & Allies: identification, ecology and recording - Alan Stewart
Thursday 19/02/2026, 19:30, online via Zoom
Book here: www.naturespot.org/node/262956
#Bugs #Hemiptera #VC55 #Auchenorrhyncha
Please share!

A slide showing information about the lacebug Catoplatus fabricii. There is an image of the species (a small brown bug with mesh like structures at the edge of the abdomen. The text on the slide reads A medium sized species of lacebug which is strongly associated with Ox-eye Daisy, Leucanthemum vulgare. The thorax is rather narrow behind the head, and lacks the meshes on the margins found in other lacebugs. The third antennal segment is the same width as the fourth. A very scarce species in Bedfordshire, with only one recent record. Should be looked for where Ox-eye Daisies are found, especially in dry, sunny situations on calcareous soils. Adults over-winter in moss close to the host plant.

A new species added to the Bedfordshire bug slides, with the lacebug Catoplatus fabricii, a rather lovely creature brilliantly found and photographed by @markgurn.bsky.social last year. See all the slides here www.flickr.com/photos/runne...

Yeah, I thought the very thick plastic bin would do the trick, but the holes gnawed in the lid tell me otherwise. I'll be chucking the remaining food in there, and finding an alternative storage location.

I'm afraid I didn't detain them to check, although I imagine they've scampered straight back into the bag!

A view into a large bag of peanuts. In one corner a small mouse is hiding

A very indignant mouse, informing me that they know their rights under the housing of mice act 1987, and that I will shortly be hearing from their lawyer

Apparently I've been running a bed and breakfast for mice in my garage

Next you'll be going from Nero to zero

A montage of the 14 species of pseudoscorpion that I recorded in Norfolk in 2025. All except one I found myself although one other was from a site that it had been previously recorded from so I new where to look.

A map of Norfolk with orange circles showing where I recorded a pseudoscorpion during 2025.

2025 was the year of the pseudoscorpion as far as I'm concerned. I managed to see 14 species in Norfolk, mostly by cycling round to various churchyards but I also got a lift out to a few places by car. Over 100 churchyards visited by bicycle though. Photo montage of species, map of 2025's records.

All distractions from the ever growing realisation of just how far a marathon is are very welcome, and it's for a really good cause.

Have you checked for scale insects on the ivy? www.naturespot.org/species/vibu...

Ha, well spotted, I'll get that fixed!

A slide about the Southern Green Shieldbug, Nezara viridula, in Bedfordshire, with images and a map. The text reads The southern European counterpart to the familiar Green Shieldbug, which has recently been recorded in Bedfordshire for the first time. In common with the Green Shieldbug, adults are uniformly green for most of the year, but go a dull brown colour when over-wintering. There are always three white dots across the bas of the scutellum, and the wing membrane is clear, not darkened. Nymphs are very different looking, being boldly patterned with white and red markings. Likely to be found more widely in the county in the coming years.

A slide about the Vernal Shieldbug, Peribalus stictus, in Bedfordshire, with images and a map. The text reads A medium-sized shieldbug that is rather non-descript in appearance at first glance, with a yellowish-brown body colour. On closer inspection, the bright orange antennae with two black bands, along with the yellow tip to the scutellum and banded connexivum, readily distinguish this from other similarly sized species. Formally a very rare species in the UK, with one historic record in Bedfordshire, it has recently undergone a northward range expansion, with individuals being recorded on two dates at a site in Bedfordshire in 2025.

Starting 2026 by adding a couple of Bedfordshire shieldbug slides. Southern Green Shieldbug was new to the county in 2025, and Vernal had its first record since 1993. See all the slides here www.flickr.com/photos/runne...

Two cup shaped mushrooms growing in a plant pot. The edges of the cup are gilled, and the top of the mushroom is purple with white markings

Anyone got any idea what this mushroom in a pot with Lady's Mantle (I think) at Wimpole National Trust (UK) might be? #Fungi #Fungus

Endemic Meet the rare, obscure and utterly British species found nowhere else on earth.Around 70,000 species call Britain home, but how many of them can be found here a…

If you're a naturalist looking for a great book, or someone looking for a present for a naturalist, then I highly recommend Endemic by @bsbicountries.bsky.social share.google/ptOhpUquZmxI... a truly lovely read.

‘White-knuckled wolf spider’ thought lost is rediscovered on Isle of Wight Conservationists hail ‘remarkable’ rediscovery after 40 years, at nature reserve only accessible by boat

Congrats to @graemelyons.bsky.social and Mark Telfer for an amazing discovery 👏👏🕷️ www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Two adorable, but also very dopey looking, black cats, sat on a bed

Security is claiming they never saw a thing

A mouse in a transparent live capture trap. Just the head is visible, viewed from side on.

Tis the season for these little scamps to start turning up in my attic, and be given a free trip back to the local wood. As far as I can tell, they always seem to be Yellow-necked Mouse

An advert for a demon beetle trap, promising that it will catch Blatta orientalis

Wonder if this would still work, I've never seen Blatta orientalis!

A long-bodied damselfly which is mostly metallic green in colour with pale claspers at the tip of the abdomen and pale wing-spots.

Distinctly colder this morning, but this Willow Emerald was enjoying the sunshine in the gardens at The Lodge RSPB at lunchtime.

Excellent! Thank you. I'll put it on iRecord now.

A phone photo of a plant with yellow flowers and green toothed leaves

Found this in York. It's a groundsel, but is it a York Groundsel?! @bramblebotanist.bsky.social

Nysius are tricky! Not sure I can rule out other species from these photos, although senecionis is probably the most likely.

🚨New Bedfordshire shieldbug klaxon 🚨

A small bug on green hairy flower buds. The bug is greenish-brown with distinctively black and white chequered wing tips

Had another go at getting a photo of the Dicyphus escalerae which have colonised the snapdragons in my garden earlier. They're not very obliging, but this was an improvement on what I've managed before. Worth checking any snapdragons near you to see if these have taken up residence.

Feels mothy out there...

A large delta-wing shaped moth set on pink Sedum flowers. The moth is largely mottled grey, with some pink markings on the thorax.

A nice surprise in the moth trap a couple of nights ago with this stonker of a Convolvulus Hawk-moth sat on the side, apparently unbothered by sharing the trap with 10 or so Hornets. #TeamMoth

A picture of the plant bug Dicyphus escalerae on a green stem, showing the distinctive contrasting colouration, including the pale cuneus with a distinct dark tip.

Look what showed up in my garden this weekend! Definitely a new arrival - I've been staring at those Snapdragons all year without any luck.

A top down view of a Common Groundhopper on a dead leaf. The groundhopper is dark with some pale mottling and a very knobbly appearance.

A side on view of a paler Common Groundhopper, with mottling in various shades of white and grey.

Got out with the camera for the first time in a while yesterday, and had some quality time with the funky armoured mini-grasshopper that are Common Groundhoppers.

Bedfordshire naturalists, please also look out for this!

Wonder when Nezara will finally make it to Beds...