Out surveying a small piece of community woodland in Upper Basildon, Berkshire on Tuesday - one of the more interesting insects seen was this darkling beetle, Lagria hirta, with its hairy elytra BBO Wildlife Trust Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre

A new soldierfly for me - tiny Yellow-legged Black (Pachygaster leachii) seen today in woodland along the Chilswell Valley, just west of Oxford BBO Wildlife Trust Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre #FliesofBritainandIreland Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 Gail Ashton 💚🪲🌍 Steven Falk Dr Erica McAlister Dipterists Forum

Saw this beauty whilst on holiday in the south of France - the Geometrician (Grammodes stolida) is a rare immigrant to Britain with just three records, the most recent in 2019 Zoe Randle Butterfly Conservation 🦋

Wild Parsnip - a wonderful plant for flies & with so much of it BBO Wildlife Trust's Dry Sandford Pit, you can see all these & many more Scaeva pyrastri, Stratiomys potamida, Phasia hemiptera, Riponnensia splendens #FliesofBritainandIreland Dr Erica McAlister Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre BSBI: Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland

The Woolly Thistles are looking superb on the limestone grassland BBO Wildlife Trust's Dry Sandford Pit, nr Abingdon. It's a shame that the bumblebees weren't about that day BSBI: Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre

The amazing small ground beetle, Green-socks Peacock (Elaphrus riparius) seen today on damp ground near the pond at BBO Wildlife Trust's Hitchcopse Pit Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre

Fantastic #flies - Golden-haired Robberfly (Choerades marginatus) was seen BBO Wildlife Trust's Bowdown Woods today with its prey, a 14-spot Ladybird Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre Dipterists Forum Dr Erica McAlister Steven Falk Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 Gail Ashton 💚🪲🌍 A shot for our #FliesofBritainandIreland to be published Autumn 25

Marsh Gentian (Gentiana pneumonanthe) & Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) – these 2 beautiful plants feature in Clive Chatters' #TheNatureoftheNewForest – going to print shortly the book will be published in October, pre-order here bit.ly/3xfmHcM Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust BSBI: Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland

Magnificent beasts - Just started laying out the Robberfly pages for our 400-page Photographic Guide to #FliesofBritainandIreland to be published Autumn 2025. Pre-pub offer starts later this year Dr Erica McAlister Steven Falk Gail Ashton 💚🪲🌍 Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 BBO Wildlife Trust Dipterists Forum Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre

Fabulous soldierflies - a female Banded General seen today at BBO Wildlife Trust's Dry Sandford Pit. The similar looking & rare Clubbed General is also found there but has a V-shaped yellow scutellum (inset) Gail Ashton 💚🪲🌍 Dr Erica McAlister Steven Falk Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre #FliesofBritainandIreland

Rare flies of the New Forest: Six-spotted Cranefly (Idiocera sexguttata) is found on base-rich bogs in the Forest & features in #TheNatureoftheNewForest – the book is now being printed for publication in October pre-order now bit.ly/3xfmHcM Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust Dr Erica McAlister

Out on a Naturebureau team building day looking at invertebrates at BBO Wildlife Trust's Thatcham Reedbeds - although the day was dull & drizzly these tiny silver Dolichopid Argyra flies added some sparkle to the day #FliesofBritainandIreland Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 Gail Ashton 💚🪲🌍 Steven Falk Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre

If you thought the orchid season was over, think again. These 2 beautiful orchids are in flower now. Autumn Lady's-tresses are flowering in their1000s BBO Wildlife Trust's Greenham Common & Violet Helleborines are hiding away in the darkest Chilterns beechwoods BSBI: Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland wildflowerhour

Late summer flowers - BBO Wildlife Trust's Parsonage Moor fen and its nearby reserve Hitchcopse Pit were worth visiting this weekend with Grass-of-Parnassus & Carline Thistle both looking their best BSBI: Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland wildflowerhour Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre

Arachnophobes look away now - these 2 beauties seen yesterday in the fen BBO Wildlife Trust's Parsonage Moor reserve, nr Abingdon - Four-spotted Orb Weaver (Araneus quadratus) & Wasp Spider (Argiope bruennichi) Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre Buglife

Good to see the Nationally Rare bee-fly Downland Villa (Villa cingulata) tucking in to Wild Parsnip on the flowery grassland next to BBO Wildlife Trust's Decoy Heath, nr Padworth today. It really is expanding its range Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre #FliesofBritainandIreland Gail Ashton 💚🪲🌍 Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 Steven Falk

Cloudy & cool today in Oxford - I was planning to pop out later & photograph insects but resorted to snapping tiny 3mm-long Drosophila fruit flies by our waste food bin by our back door instead #FliesofBritainandIreland Dr Erica McAlister Steven Falk Gail Ashton 💚🪲🌍 Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 BBO Wildlife Trust

We'll be launching the pre-pub offer on our #FliesofBritainandIreland at AES Annual Exhibition, Kempton Park Racecourse on 28 Sept. Come & see us & get a glimpse of some of the pages from the book on Naturebureau/Pisces Publicatiions stall Steven Falk Gail Ashton 💚🪲🌍 Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟

We're delighted that Dr Erica McAlister Dr Erica McAlister has agreed to write the Foreword for our #FliesofBritainandIreland to be published Autumn 2025 - the book is moving on apace with the Robberflies pages now laid out Gail Ashton 💚🪲🌍 Steven Falk Rory Dimond 🌼🪰🌼🐝🌼🦟 Dipterists Forum BBO Wildlife Trust

Now is a great time to visit the New Forest as the damp weather is perfect for #mosses - discover their beauty in Clive Chatters' new book #TheNatureoftheNewForest We're expecting delivery end of Sept – pre-order by 31st October & SAVE £££s bit.ly/3xfmHcM BBSBryology