Beautiful and delicate Grass Vetchling - always a delight to spot them in the grass verges at Bernwood Forest nr Oakley in Bucks BBO Wildlife Trust BSBI: Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland wildflowerhour

The MOTHS of LANCASHIRE is landing tomorrow – we'll be sending out copies to all who have pre-ordered – & if you haven't ordered one yet you can still get it at the pre-pub price until 31 May bit.ly/3S2k71D Tanyptera Project Lancashire Wildlife Trust Butterfly Conservation 🦋 Zoe Randle
Ian Kimber

HYPNOT-EYES - The fantastic eyes of the horsefly family. Top: Splayed Deerfly, Notch-horned Cleg
Bottom: Hairy-legged Horsefly, Band-eyed Horsefly All can be seen on BBO Wildlife Trust nature reserves Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre
#FliesofBritainandIreland Gail Ashton 💚🪲🌍 Dr Erica McAlister Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 Steven Falk

Lots to see in BBO Wildlife Trust's Bernwood Meadows yesterday - Green-winded Orchids still in flower, a solitary Early Marsh-orchid, lots of Adder's-tongue fern, butterflies and this Forester Moth @TVERC BC Upper Thames Zoe Randle

Four of the many fabulous flies seen today BBO Wildlife Trust's Dry Sandford Pit, nr Abingdon #FliesofBritainandIreland Gail Ashton 💚🪲🌍 Dr Erica McAlister Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 Steven Falk Dipterists Forum Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre Wild Oxfordshire

Hoorah for the sunshine - lots of insects buzzing about like this tiny tachinid fly Phania funesta nectaring on Germander Speedwell BBO Wildlife Trust's Dry Sandford Pit, a fantastic reserve for insects #FliesofBritainandIreland Gail Ashton 💚🪲🌍 Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 Steven Falk Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre Dr Erica McAlister

What a beauty - a fresh female Many-banded Tiger cranefly (Nephrotoma flavipalpis) seen yesterday whilst surveying a small area of woodland at Upper Basildon, Berkshire #FliesofBritainandIreland Gail Ashton 💚🪲🌍 Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 Steven Falk Dipterists Forum Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre BBO Wildlife Trust Dr Erica McAlister

Whilst out surveying a small piece of woodland in Upper Basildon with the Ecology Team this morning I spotted some Cramp Ball fungi (Daldinia concentrica) on an Ash stump & was delighted to see this Cramp-ball Fungus Weevil (Platyrhinus resinosus) next to them Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre BBO Wildlife Trust

A star-burst of beautiful Sanicle flowers along the streamside in the woodland at Chilswell Valley, just to west of Oxford - but what's that tiny hoverfly on one of the umbels? BBO Wildlife Trust Wild Oxfordshire Steven Falk BSBI: Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟

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

An overlooked little beauty of woodland, Three-nerved Sandwort Moehringia trinervia has petals only half as long as the green white-edged sepals and leaves with 3 conspicuous veins - this one spotted BBO Wildlife Trust's Dry Sandford Pit BSBI: Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland wildflowerhour

The tiny fly Cacoxenus indagator waits around bee hotels for a Red Mason Bee to provision a brood cell with pollen, the fly then enters & lays eggs on the pollen before the cell is sealed. Fly larvae hatch & feed on the pollen #FliesofBritainandIreland Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 Steven Falk

First time we've had the tiny Many Plumed Moth in our house - what a little beauty BC Upper Thames Zoe Randle BBO Wildlife Trust

2 flies seen along the Chilswell Valley, nr Oxford yesterday - a Stilt-legged Fly Neria cibaria (left) & female Murky-legged Legionnaire Beris chalybata #FliesofBritainandIreland BBO Wildlife Trust Wild Oxfordshire Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre Steven Falk Gail Ashton 💚🪲🌍 Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 Dr Erica McAlister Dipterists Forum

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)

#FliesofBritainandIreland 2 fabulous flies from BBO Wildlife Trust's Dry Sandford Pit this morning - A Downlooker Snipefly (Rhagio scolopaceus) that refused to look down & a Sap Hoverfly (Brachyopa sp.) with grey humeri, but what species? Steven Falk Gail Ashton 💚🪲🌍 Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 Dr Erica McAlister

Spring greens - the hidden gem of the Chilswell Valley, just to the west of Oxford is a great place to visit in spring. With its mixture of limestone grassland, woodland and fen its full of birdsong and cowslips at the moment BBO Wildlife Trust Wild Oxfordshire

Holly Blues are flying around in our garden in Oxford whenever the sun is out - let's hope we have a few sunny spells over the May Bank Holiday BBO Wildlife Trust BC Upper Thames Butterfly Conservation 🦋 UK Butterflies Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre

The MOTHS of LANCASHIRE has now gone to print – pre-pub offer has been extended bit.ly/3S2k71D - order by 31 May & SAVE £8 on published price Tanyptera Project Lancashire Wildlife Trust Butterfly Conservation 🦋 Zoe Randle Ian Kimber

A female Bat-winged Phasia (Phasia hemiptera) seen today at BBO Wildlife Trust's Dry Sandford Pit, nr Abingdon - first one I've seen this year. The more colourful males are often seen here on Marjoram in summer #FliesofBritainandIreland Gail Ashton 💚🪲🌍 Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 Steven Falk Dr Erica McAlister