iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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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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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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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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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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

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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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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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 · 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 · 03/05/2026

Also from Loch Leven, a female Early Nomad Bee, Nomada leucophthalma, on her unceasing hunt for mining bee nests to lay her eggs in. Point and shoot photography can be surprisingly effective in getting a good enough look at these to identify them.

A wasp like bee flying over sandy looking ground. The bee has a black thorax with two red dots on the scutellum and a yellow and black striped thorax with red markings down from the base to about halfway.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Back from a few lovely days in southern Scotland, and then a few not so lovely days with some sort of nasty lurgy, but feeling well enough now to post these delightful Red-breasted Carrion Beetles from RSPB Loch Leven (in possibly the worst conditions for photography imaginable)

A pair of beetles on a lump of something black and gooey. The beetles are black with chestnut brown thoraxes. One beetle is on top of the other, for reasons that I probably don't need to explain.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Almost didn't realise it was #WorldRobberflyDay, but luckily @ashwhiffin.bsky.social reminded me. Here's one of Britain's coolest insects to celebrate, the magnificent Laphria flava

A view of Laphria flava from below, sitting imposingly on a green leaf and surveying its surroundings

A side on view of Laphria flava on a wooden fence,showing the beautiful orange and black colouration

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

And then just to wrap things up, a couple of Rhombic Leatherbugs, Syromastus rhombeus, were frolicking in the spring sunshine.

A pale brown bug with a diamond shaped abdomen and long black tipped antennae.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

but today it wasn't even the highlight of the heath, as outrageously, sweeping some heather turned up my first snakefly of the year, probably Atlantoraphidia maculicollis

The glorious evolutionary fever dream that is a snakefly, with a long head and thorax combined with large wings with a dense network of veins.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Then on to the heath, where the Fencepost Jumping #Spider, Marpissa muscosa, would be the highlight of most days.

A jumping spider on a wooden background. The spider is pale brown and blends in well with the wood. The abdomen is elongated with black and white markings

A head on view of the spider, showing his fuzzy palps and shining blue eyes. A very handsome fellow.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

but that was immediately trumped by this true bug scuttling around in the same net, just the 4th record in Bedfordshire of Brachycarenus tigrinus, and not on my radar for today at all!

A pale brown bug with attractive black markings and translucent wings

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Strong competition for bug of the day today. First swish of the sweep net of the year through some Garlic Mustard turned up a tiny black weevil which I think is Ceutorhynchus alliariae, a new species for me, and my 3,250th species in the UK.

A black weevil on a white net background

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Perhaps the very finest of British bees is the Orange-tailed Mining Bee, Andrena haemorrhoa, which combines an elegant fox-red thorax trimmed with white with a shining orange-tipped thorax. I was lucky enough to find a calm individual at RSPB The Lodge yesterday who posed for some photos.

A beautiful bee viewed from head-on, but with most of the body visible. The face is festooned in white hairs and the thorax is clad in fox-red hairs on top, merging seamlessly to pure white below. 10/10, no notes.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

A delightful little micro moth in the trap this morning, which I think is Pammene argyrana. The caterpillars develop inside galls on oaks!

A moth viewed side on against a pale background. The moth is intricately patterned in grey, black, orange and white, with a large white patch in the middle of its back.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

One of the best things about natural history is the potential for unexpected encounters at any time, in even the most familiar places. Today I bumped into my 2nd ever Scarab Shieldbug at a spot where I've spent dozens if not hundreds of hours happily looking for insects.

A close-up of a small metallic black insect which is oval in shape, with spiky hind legs.

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

If you go down to the woods today, you might just come across these bristly little flies called Tachina lurida. These ones were in Chicksands Wood in Bedfordshire earlier. #Tachinidae #Diptera

A side on view of a very bristly fly sitting on a dead leaf. The fly is brown, with a reddish tinge to the abdomen.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

A small hoverfly with a mouthful of a name in the gardens at The Lodge RSPB today. This is a female Melangyna lasiophthalma, an early spring species that I don't often come across.

A hoverfly sitting on Yew leaves, viewed from the top down. There are six bright yellow bar-shaped spots on the abdomen.

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Will George @willgeorge.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Reacquainting myself with spring hoverflies in the gardens at RSPB The Lodge today. These are a female Parasyrphus punctulatus and a male Syrphus torvus. Other yellow stripy hoverflies are available

A male Syrphus torvus hoverfly on white Pieris flowers. The hoverfly has two yellow spots at the top of the abdomen, with two yellow bands below. On close inspection, the eyes are hairy.

A female Parasyprhus punctulatus on a green leaf. Has six yellow spots on the abdomen in the characteristic golf club shape.

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