There has been a recent surge in interest of gall forming wasps, particularly the Andricus genus with several new and ‘un-common’ species being identified in South Lancashire. Andricus are a particularly nice group as the species can be largely identified through the careful examination of their galls. This group is also generally poorly recorded so...
For most of the year, my notes have reported drought conditions on the Seton Coast. These intensified in August, only three days registering measurable rainfall. Thunderstorms that provided welcome relief further south missed us (as usual!). There was also a heatwave from 11th to 14th with temperatures up to about 300C. As a result the...
Data from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Garden BirdWatch survey, carried out by volunteers across the UK,show a fourfold increase in the number of gardens recording a Hummingbird Hawkmoth, making 2022 a record year. These large, colourful insects are often mistaken for hummingbirds because of the way they hover over flowers and use their...
Global warming and associated climate change is now well and truly with us. The Met. Office says that July was the driest in England since 1935 and the driest ever in the south-east. New temperature records were set, including the first time that 40oC was reached in the UK (on 19th). Luckily, it was about...