Creeping Cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans) is very useful in lawns. It suppresses grasses allowing shorter turf but real bonus appears at this time of year in Bengeo garden. It is host plant of sawfly, Macrophya annulata, fabulous spider wasp mimic. Andrew Green Andy Musgrove

Bon appetit - we'll be getting our teeth into the layout of the Asilidae Robberfly pages soon for our new Guide to #FliesofBritainandIreland Gail Ashton 💚🪲🌍 Dr Erica McAlister Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 Steven Falk Dipterists Forum BBO Wildlife Trust

Talking all things bees on #bbcstw today BBC Radio 4 at 9am Martha Kearney Brigit Strawbridge Api:Cultural Urban Bees @biros_and_bloom Kate Humble Chris Packham Steven Falk Prof. Jeff Ollerton - @[email protected] Dave Goulson Penny Metal 🐝

Had about a dozen sightings in the end (over a 4 hr period), mostly males sitting on partially submerged logs. You see more if you wade along a stream in wellies. Can't believe that these are just 5 miles from where I live.

Just a reminder that the Braemar Nature Festival starts this evening and runs for 10 days so if you’re in the #Cairngorms then check out the programme below and hopefully see you at one or more of the events

Today Natural England Dorset Wildlife Trust private funders, local farmers & other partners meet at Lyscombe Farm in Dorset to mark the start of a new Nature recovery programme there. I will speak about that on BBC Radio 4 Today at 6.50. dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/dorset-wi…

Woodland tachinids are becoming quite noticeable now, some are quite big. There is a big Flickr resource here flickr.com/photos/6307520…. also the recording scheme website here tachinidae.org.uk/blog/. Challenging but by no means impossible to identify.

The Wild Garlic (Ramsons) flowers are brilliant at pulling in pollinators, even in the heat of the day. Here are some images from Monks Park Wood, Warwickshire yesterday afternoon.

Is this Colletes cunicularius Stuart Roberts Steven Falk David Notton ? If so, it is now 43 miles north of most north western record at Drigg Dunes on NBN. Plenty of gorse and dandelion, will check if creeping willow grows here. About 20 females but none carried pollen. Many Sphecodes.

Glad to report that Wood Ants are still abundant in parts of @forestrycom Arley Wood. Only surviving population in Warwickshire, so an LBAP priority species.

Crabro peltarius (I reckon) busy catching flies along #DiggerAlley RSPB Minsmere 🌍 Sneaky little 'Burrow Watcher' fly sneaks in after her, clearly up to no good. 2nd fly is huge - one for Dr Erica McAlister 😃Wait for the end to see the wasp punch into the hole!
Steven Falk Prof Seirian Sumner

Please sort this out @x. A simple admin’ misunderstanding.

Can't get enough of the Nomada bees at the moment, such vibrant colours. These are Nomada lathburiana (Lathbury's Nomad Bee, male) and N. marshamella (Marsham's Nomad Bee, female), identified with the help of the new key from Steven Falk x.com/StevenFalk1/st…

Des Bowring Steven Falk Gail Ashton 💚🪲🌍 Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 Dr Erica McAlister We are expecting to publish early Autumn 2025 - and we'll be launching a pre-publiction offer late this year

Bees can be difficult to ID, especially if you don't want to kill them to look under a microscope.

In the field I put the bee in a cellophane card wrapper, then I can see all of its features with my hand lens!

This Andrena nigroaenea flew away safely after identification!

Just starting laying out the 'dollies' Dolichopodidae pages for our Guide to #FliesofBritainandIreland Steven Falk Gail Ashton 💚🪲🌍 Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 Dr Erica McAlister Many are found in wet habitats like Semaphore Flies (left) but some are found on trees like Neurigona quadrifasciata (right)