iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Will George

Rockwolf 🇪🇺 @rockwolf74.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

It was lovely to see plenty of Pyrrhocoris apterus (Fire Bug) in Suffolk last week! A species we don't see in Shropshire! #Heteroptera #Suffolk

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

@chrisraper.bsky.social what do you make of this tachina? Dark front legs and wide (I think) frons, but the claws seem quite long too?

A whole body shot of the fly from the top down

A whole body shot of the fly from underneath

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Am I safe calling this Brachymeria tibialis? Hind tibia is all yellow apart from a dark leading edge @jasboparai.bsky.social

A top down view of a black and yellow wasp

A side on view of the same wasp showing the swollen hind femora

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Ran the moth trap last night, but the best thing in it wasn't a moth. I think this magnificent creature is Enicospilus ramidulus, but please do tell me if I'm wrong! @jasboparai.bsky.social @gavinbroad.bsky.social

A large and narrow bodied wasp sitting on a grey background. The wasp is bright red, with a black tip to the abdomen, and very long antennae

A side on view of the same wasp. Two dark patches are visible in the wing, these are sclerites, hardened bits of chitin that I think help to identify this wasp as Enicospilus ramidulus

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Messing around with some of my photos to try and make some posters about the insects around my local area. Having fun even if I don't have an artistic bone in my body...

A poster about moths in Potton (Bedfordshire, UK), showing pictures of: Hornet Clearwing, Pink-barred Sallow, Elephant Hawkmoth, Green Silver-lines, Merveille-du-jour, Hummingbird Hawk-moth, Scarlet Tiger, Convolvulus Hawk-moth, Pale Prominent, Meadow Grass-moth

A poster about bugs in Potton (Bedfordshire, UK), showing pictures of: Firebug, Blue Shieldbug, Hairy Shieldbug, Cyllecoris histrionius, Leptopterna dolabrata, Oncotylus viridiflavus, Deraeocoris olivaceus, Malacocoris chlorizans, Tortoise Shieldbug, Rhombic Leatherbug, Pied Shieldbug

A poster about hoverflies in Potton (Bedfordshire, UK) showing pictures of: Rhingia rostrata, Brachypalpoides lentus, Criorhina ranunculi, Callicera spinolae, Xanthogramma pedissequum, Volucella zonaria, Didea fasciata, Volucella pellucens, Myathropa florea, Volucella inflata

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Reposted by Will George

Andy Musgrove @andymus.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Following the sad news about Bill Oddie, here's our own little tribute from BUBO Listing bubo.org/bill-oddie.h.... RIP Bill.

bubo.org

Bill Oddie

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Reposted by Will George

Martyn Warren (he/him) @martynwarren.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Did you know you can get 50 meticulously drawn insect postcards for just £30? That's... *does the maths* ...cheap. www.etsy.com/uk/listing/6...

A screenshot from my Etsy listing showing all 50 postcards. They're a collection of beetles, grasshoppers, moths, stick insects, mantises, true bugs and 2 bees.

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Reposted by Will George

Julian Hughes @penrhynbirder.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Like most birders, I met #BillOddie several times, even appearing on an early series of Birding with Bill Oddie, in a one-hour birdrace around Rutland Water during the original @globalbirdfair.bsky.social. My first contact was age 16 when I asked some celebs to write some encouraging... (1/3)

A postcard dated 4/4/87 from Bill Oddie:

"I started birdwatching when I was six. Now I'm nearly 46 - and I'm keener than ever; and if I reach 96 - I'll still be at it. It's an interest and a joy for LIFE. Please don't even THINK of giving it up. Learn and have fun"

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

A new dragonfly for me from Lakenheath Fen RSPB at the weekend, the Southern Migrant Hawker, with its dazzling blue eyes. Didn't see one land all day, so had to try to get some in-flight shots

A dragonfly in flight. The dragonfly has bright blue eyes and a largely blue abdomen, paired with an apple-green thorax.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Visitor centre pond at RSPB Lakenheath Fen was absolutely swarming with these yesterday. @kitenet.bsky.social is it a Stratiomys larva?

A long thin grey coloured larva in dark water. The body is broadened in the middle, tapering down to a thin tail.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Any moth people want to venture an opinion on this that I've just found in Theberton, Suffolk? #TeamMoth. Back of camera shot as I'm away from my computer.

A grey and black patterned moth on dry grass

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Firebugs by the bucket load along the seafront in Southwold today

A black and red strikingly marked bug on a dried flower head

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Stopped for some lunch in the shade of Tring Park yesterday, and were joined by this inquisitive Roe Deer who spent a good 15 minutes keeping a close eye on us.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Delighted to bump into this Villa cingulata whilst walking the Ridgeway today. A scarce but expanding species associated with chalk downland.

A fly on a hogweed flower. The fly is black with brown hairs, and stripes across the abdomen

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

I think I might have sharpened this wasp too much...

A very small black wasp with large green eyes on a white net. The wasp is wingless, with a conical, sharp-tipped abdomen.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

One of my favourite bugs, the camo-sporting Phytocoris tiliae from Potton Wood in Bedfordshire earlier today. An early record of a species normally seen from mid-July onwards.

A green and black mottled bug sitting on the underside of a leaf. The patterning is reminiscent of camouflage on military clothing.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

After seeing an adult hedgehog a couple of times, and hearing a lot of rustling in the undergrowth, we decided to stick out a camera trap to see if we had a family. Delighted to say that we definitely have at least one hoglet in the garden!

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Reposted by Will George

James Emerson @norwichbirder.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Lejops vittatus is a rare hoverfly associated with Sea Club-rush (see Roger Morris's blog stamfordsyrpher.blogspot.com/2017/11/lejo...). Today @tim-hodge.bsky.social & I found it at Bure Park, Yarmouth. Tim is keen for a wider search effort for this species if you know of an area with Sea Club-rush.

A hoverfly with a striped thorax and cream markings on the abdomen on a Sea Club Rush flowerhead.

Habitat photo - a large pond with abundant Sea Club-rush.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

I thoroughly recommend looking closely at grass seed heads at this time of year, you might be surprised at how many bugs you see

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

I seem to be in a bit of a purple patch for bugs (no purple bugs unfortunately). Yesterday I came across a fallen Ash tree, which produced the first Tropidosteptes pacificus for Bedfordshire. This is a native of the USA which is now widespread in the UK.

A pale brown bug on a white net. There are two black dots at the top of the thorax, just behind the head.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

A new bug for me yesterday, the Elm associated Psallodema fieberi. Rarely recorded, probably at least in part due to being one of the few species not covered by the excellent britishbugs.org.uk website

A pale orange bug with dark eyes sitting on a white net

A brighter orange bug sitting on the same white net

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Reposted by Will George

Moths in a human suit (they/them) @lycomorpha.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

And now a message from the Moth Promotional Board: Want to see cute moths like this? Grow 'weeds'. That's right. Do less gardening, be less tidy, make less effort! & get ecologically super-important, pollinating, beautiful, fluffy flying kittens!!

A beautiful pink and olive green elephant hawkmoth shaped like a tiny adorable jet plane. It's sitting on a grey cardboard egg tray from my moth trap. A+ good moth friend.

A wildflower patch in my garden, filled with sorrels, bedstraws, burnets, long grasses, and various other small plants that moths like to eat.

A tiny furious grass veneer moth, a wedge shaped micromoth with lightly striped wings, round blue eyes, and worry black antennas that look like angry eyebrows. It's livid because it's being photobombed by a fuzzy brown heart and club moth in the background. They're both delightful moths though.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

For the first time in over 10 years Firebugs are back in Bedfordshire. Just been and seen what looks like a thriving little colony first found by @markgurn.bsky.social @britishbugs.bsky.social

A brightly coloured red and black bug on a concrete footpath

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Almost as jazzy as Nemophora (check out those eyes!) was this Chrysops caecutiens horsefly, but my admiration for it was tempered rather by it biting me twice through my t-shirt shortly after I took this photo!

A strikingly marked fly with bright red eyes sitting on a green leaf. The eyes have black splotches and the wings are strongly marked with black.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Nemophora fasciella back in the garden today, a truly lovely little moth which feeds on Black Horehound. Nationally scarce in the UK, but fairly regular in my corner of Bedfordshire.

A shiny winged small moth sitting on the petal at the edge of a daisy. The moth has very long white antennae, and a floofy face.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Another highlight from Knocking Hoe, the beautiful Calocoris roseomaculatus, a chalk downland specialist which is a scarce species in Bedfordshire

A bug sitting on the petals of a daisy. The bug is a pale grey-green with bright maroon markings

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Had a lovely day out at Knocking Hoe NNR on Saturday, lots of Common Restharrow in the grass which was absolutely covered in the plant bug Macrotylus paykulli. A new species for me, but fairly common in the UK where Common Restharrow occurs.

A green bug sat on a toothed leaf. The head and thorax are bright green, and the rest of the body is a paler shade, with a dense covering of dark hairs. The wing membrane is dark with a white vein through it.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Closterotomus fulvomaculatus going for more of a geography teacher in a tweed suit kind of a vibe

A long-legged, plain brown bug on a green leaf.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Grypocoris stysi casually reminding everyone that bugs are the very best insects

A beautiful black, yellow and orange bug sat on the tip of a nettle flower against an out of focus green background.

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Reposted by Will George

Merseyside BioBank @mbblerc.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

🌸 Phil Smith's May Wildlife Notes are now available on our website 🐝 Head over and have a read to find out more! merseysidebiobank.org.uk/blog/2026/06...

merseysidebiobank.org.uk

Wildlife Notes May2026 – Other Services

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

A rather dopey Anthophora furcata (Fork-tailed Flower Bee) sitting on Nepeta in the cool blustery conditions this morning. Seems to have broken one of his antennae at some point.

a head on view of a bee sitting on a purple flower. The bee has the lower half of the face yellow, and a brown furry thorax

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Delighted to be paid a visit by the beautiful longhorn moth Nemophora fasciella in my garden this lunch time, up there with Britain's most beautiful insects. #TeamMoth

A metallic gold and orange coloured moth sitting on the middle of a large daisy flower. The moth has very long antennae sticking directly up above it which are considerably longer than the rest of the moth.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Just realised that I've recently surpassed 10,000 images on my flickr site, almost all of various forms of wildlife. Image 10,000 was probably one of my very rare forays into bird photography, with this cooperative Tree Sparrow at RSPB Bempton Cliffs last week. flic.kr/p/2sg69HW.

flic.kr

Tree Sparrow

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Pleasantly surprised to see a Norfolk Hawker whizzing around in my local wood in Bedfordshire yesterday. As the name suggests this was historically a scarce species found mainly in Norfolk, but which has recently spread dramatically across England.

a brown dragonfly perched on a dead stem in a leafy hedge. The dragonfly has pale green eyes and largely clear wings with pale brown spots near the tips

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Bit warm out there today. This Ant Beetle, Thanasimus formicarius, was enjoying the heat, scampering around merrily on a tree trunk. Not entirely sure why it's called an Ant Beetle...

A red and black beetle with two silver white stripes across its body, sitting on a tree trunk

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Reposted by Will George

John Walters @johnwalterswildife.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

If you are interested in learning to identify the UKs ground beetles there are free guides to download on my website johnwalters.co.uk/publications...

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Funky fuzzy little looper caterpillar knocked off (and then put back on) oak yesterday in Bedfordshire yesterday. Anyone got any idea what it'll grow up to be? @vc30moths.bsky.social

A brown caterpillar on a white net, sitting in an arched position.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Breezy weather today brought two of the May bugs to look for down from an Oak tree and into the shrubbery below. Rhabdomiris striatellus and Dryophilocoris flavoquadrimaculatus, both rather handsome beasts.

A yellow and black striped bug sitting on a green leaf

A black bug with four yellow patches on the abdomen, sitting on a green leaf.

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Reposted by Will George

Vanna Bartlett @vannabartlett.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

After months of work my Norfolk Pseudoscorpion guide for @norfolknats.bsky.social is now on the website free to see/download. Covers 20 species recorded in Norfolk so hopefully useful for other areas of UK. norfolknaturalists.org.uk/wp/wp-conten...

Dendrochernes cyrneus, a large pseudoscorpion with robust shiny, blackish claws on a piece of tree bark.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

How is one supposed to get on with work when a funky wasp is sitting on the office window? Possibly a male Echthrus reluctator.

A long-legged wasp with a mostly black body, sitting on a glass background. The antennae have striking white bands at around two thirds of their length

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Decided to try and write something about what bugs to look for through the year - Bedfordshire-centric, but probably fairly applicable across most of central to southern England. Feedback welcome! #Heteroptera sites.google.com/view/bedsbug...

sites.google.com

BedsBugs - A Year in Bugs

January-March

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

I do enjoy a delightfully mad caterpillar. This is a Lilac Beauty that I found on the lilac in my garden today

A brown caterpillar sitting hunched up on a green stem. It is a bit knobbly, with two large hook shaped projections sticking off its bum

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Rainy today, so here's another good find from yesterday, a male Nomada lathburiana peering around a grass stem. Like all of the c.30 UK species, this is a cleptoparasite of other bees nests, in this case the Ashy Mining Bee, Andrena cineraria.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Delighted to find this beautiful Blue Shieldbug, Zicrona caerulea, in my local wood today, having only ever seen one once before, although they are a reasonably common species.

A metallic blue shieldbug on a blade of grass

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

A highlight of my recent trip to Scotland was a tour of the collection centre for National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh. Very much worth doing if you ever get the chance www.nms.ac.uk/events/colle...

nms.ac.uk

Collection Centre Tours | National Museums Scotland

Discover the secrets of how we store and research our collections. Find out how our collections are used in international research and see objects rarely o

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