Will George

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...

Pied? What plant are they on?

A funky looking Grey Dagger caterpillar on rose leaves. It has a bright yellow stripe down the back, then black with red spots and a white stripe below that. There is a horn like projection sticking up behind the head.

Well hello there little friend (Grey Dagger caterpillar)

Aha! Ibalia leucospoides, and yes, it is meant to be that shape!

Microscope shot of a black wasp with a very thin abdomen and heavily ridged thorax

More side on shot of the same wasp

A top down shot of the wasp, showing the crescent shaped head and long antennae

Found this wasp in the polytunnel at the lodge (Bedforshire, UK) today, does anyone have any idea what it is, and if the abdomen is meant to be that thin?

An infographic about the bug Corizus hyoscyami in Bedfordshire, showing that it is very common across the county.

Amazing to think it turned up that recently, all over the place these days!

Probably one of the Apolygus species

Hello world!

RSPB Conservation Science has officially landed on BlueSky

Follow us to hear about our science discoveries, new publications, citizen science, and all things conservation research

Great, yes, that's definitely the word 😝

ork sp.

Tomorrow is the day! 🦋🎉

It’s the start of the Big Butterfly Count.

Between the 18 July - 10 August, spend 15 minutes recording the butterflies that you see.

1️⃣ Download the Big Butterfly Count App

2️⃣ Register

3️⃣ Get Recording

#savebutterflies #bigbutterflycount

A head on view of a large black beetle with very long serrated antennae

A top down view of the same beetle, showing the all black wing cases and legs

A close up on the head and jaws of the beetle, showing the large mandibles.

One of Britain's most formidable looking insects, a Tanner Beetle, sitting on the wall of a building at RSPB The Lodge today. #Cerambycidae

A screenshot of a map, with coloured squares showing 1km grid squares which are targets for revisits, new this year, successful revisits or have records for multiple years, showing data relating to Soldierflies. A pop-up is displaying for TL2744 showing that one species has now been recorded there.

An image of the soldierfly Stratiomys potamida, sitting on a hogweed flower. The soldierfly is boldly marked in yellow and black. Several other insects are also visible on the same flower.

This is immensely pleasing - my Stratiomys potamida sighting from the weekend now showing up as a new square on the #Soldierfly revisits map. connect-apps.ceh.ac.uk/targeting_re...

Several insects on a hogweed flower. In the middle of the image is a large yellow and black marked fly with long antennae.

Delighted to stumble across this Banded General, Stratiomys potamida, in a meadow at the edge of Guilden Morden this morning. Very impressive flies!

Not sure what they're up too, could just be residue from the flowers that they're picking up, or the hoverflies and ladybirds could be prospecting for egg laying sites

Are there aphids on there?

Dusky Sallow

A side on view of a leafhopper which is white and brown, with an obvious brown stripe across the middle of the wing cases.

Also came across a patch of Aspen, and thought, I wonder if anything interesting lives on Aspen? Gave it a shake, and out fell this little leafhopper, Tremulicerus tremulae, which feeds on Aspen and White Poplar.

#Hemiptera #Bugs #Insects

A brown bug sitting on a leaf. The bug has very long and thin antennae and legs, with thickened tips to the femora.

I always take a closer look at any patch of Enchanter's Nightshade that I come across, and today I was rewarded by finding the stilt bug Metatropis rufescens hanging out on the leaves, as they are wont to do.

#Heteroptera #Insects

A slender bug with black and white markings standing on an Antirrhinum.

In the winter I sowed 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘮 (Snapdragons) specifically to try to attract 𝘋𝘪𝘤𝘺𝘱𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘦. On 30th June I beat one, and today found two by direct inspection. @willgeorge.bsky.social‬ has confirmed as a new species for Bedfordshire.

A bug on a pine needle. The bug has half its abdomen orange and half black, with a pair of white dashes in the orange part, and a white line dividing the orange and black sections.

One of the best things that you can knock out of a Scots Pine, the delightful Pilophorus cinnamopterus at The Lodge RSPB today.

#Heteroptera #Insects

🤢 (that's my green with envy face). The trap is definitely going out tonight!