Thanasimus formicarius, also known as the ‘Ant Beetle’ or ‘European red-bellied clerid’ (fancy!), is a small but striking species of Beetle native to the UK. It is not un-common but being small and selective in its choice of habitat it is rarely seen in even more rarely reported! The Beetle is typically found in...
September can be a wet and windy month but not this one; it was much drier and warmer than usual. This meant a busy time for me, finishing off several field surveys, including a coastwide investigation into the ecology of Small-fruited Yellow-Sedge. I ended up with 44 colonies of this rather uncommon dune-slack specialist....
A small-flowered Evenint-primrose from a population found at Crosby Coastal Park was collected and sent to Rosemary Murphy, the national referee for Oenothera, earlier this year. Rosemary has now carried out a detailed examination of the plant material and has concluded that it is most likely the ‘triple hybrid’ Oenothera glazioviana x O. biennis x O.cambrica an identification which...
A rather unremarkable month for weather, August had average rainfall and a couple of short warm spells but was largely characterised by cool windy conditions. My frequent visits to the dunes revealed a surprising lack of large insects, especially dragonflies and butterflies. Thus, after a gale the previous day, I called in at our premier...