Category Archives: Insects

Flying Saucer Hunt

Posted on 2016/01/14 by Chris Foster

Last July we added White-letter hairstreak to the campus species list. It’s impossible to say whether it was a stray individual (revisiting my photograph it was a pretty beaten up specimen!) or part of a breeding colony on campus. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Butterflies, Insects, Lepidoptera, Surveys | Leave a comment

Enhancement Week

Posted on 2015/11/15 by Chris Foster

School of Biological Sciences students and staff alike enjoyed a veritable wildlife bonanza during week 6 ‘enhancement week’, with a range of sessions including bird ringing and moth trapping that served to demonstrate you don’t have to go far for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Lepidoptera, Moths | Leave a comment

Moth Night Catch

Posted on 2015/09/11 by Chris Foster

It was a cool, clear night, and 8am found the Harris Garden wreathed in mist and drenched with dew. Would any moths have found their way into our light traps in these conditions?

Posted in Lepidoptera, Moths | Leave a comment

Moth Night (Morning) update

Posted on 2015/09/10 by Chris Foster

Further to Alastair’s post, whilst it is probably too late to put on an official event I will have two light traps running in the Harris Garden overnight. All welcome to join me from 8am tomorrow to open them and … Continue reading →

Posted in Insects, Lepidoptera, Moths | Leave a comment

Moth Nights 10-12 September – will you be recording?

Posted on 2015/09/10 by Alastair Culham

Over the next two nights the UK will be aflutter with moth enthusiasts looking to see what is out and about.  UK Moth Night aims to celebrate British moth recording activity and highlight this to the public.  News coverage has … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Insects, Lepidoptera, Moths | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

White Letter Day

Posted on 2015/07/24 by Chris Foster

I had the distinct honour of adding a butterfly to the campus species list this week, in the shape of a rather smart White Letter Hairstreak. New moths come along on a near weekly basis – hardly surprising since we’ve recorded barely … Continue reading →

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Ulmaceae | 1 Comment

The Hornet Hoverfly- Volucella zonaria

Posted on 2015/06/01 by Justin Anthony Groves

There is no need to be alarmed the Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria) is a harmless species. Although I will admit, in its outwards appearance, if you have never seen one before or happen to see it out of the corner of your eye, … Continue reading →

Posted in Insects | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Joy of Botany

Posted on 2015/03/14 by Justin Anthony Groves

There is nothing better than the great outdoors for a day of vegetation surveying. Vegetation surveying can help track environmental change, and can form an integral part of the biodiversity assessment of a site. In addition, the surveyor can make predictions regarding … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Butterflies, Flowering Plants, Plants | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Breaking Ground

Posted on 2015/03/13 by Chris Foster

Behind the greenhouses in the Experimental Grounds is a patch of mostly bare ground that has clearly been well-trodden by naturalists over the past year or so. It’s the site where mousetail was rediscovered on campus last spring, and perhaps … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Beetles, Insects | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Clearance in the Wilderness

Posted on 2014/12/08 by Chris Foster

Anyone who frequents the part of the Wilderness woodland closest to the Lyle building entrance will have noticed a dramatic change over the last week. A big swathe of invasive rhododendron and laurel has been taken out and chipped, leaving … Continue reading →

Posted in Insects, Plants | 5 Comments