A guest blog by Surrey Wildlife Trust, originally written for Surrey Nature Magazine, Issue 188, Spring 2024. As the pioneering Space4Nature project reaches its halfway point, we check in with some of its key contributors. Funded by a £1.2 million grant made possible by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, Space4Nature is a partnership between Surrey Wildlife Trust, the University of Surrey, Buglife and the Painshill Park Trust, which aims to map Surrey’s habitats more accurately than ever before. Using the latest satellite earth observation imagery and artificial intelligence alongside citiz ..read more

  To celebrate World Aquatic Animals Day and shine a light on the work being carried out to restore river systems in the UK, we are sharing a guest blog exploring the impact the Riverwoods partnership has had for landowner Dee Ward in Scotland from Hugh Webster, Storytelling Lead at Scotland: The Big Picture. The Rivers Wild Words by Hugh Webster Images by Mark Hamblin, Tierney Lloyd, James Shooter & Peter Cairns ‘I don’t go anywhere without my binos,’ says Dee as we file through a mix of willows, oaks  and birch, heading towards the gentle murmur of the Rottal Burn, where it now wind ..read more

…a blog written by David Smith, Buglife’s Social Change and Advocacy Officer COP14 concluded in Uzbekistan this month with some key outcomes for nature. The COP (Conference of Parties) was the 14th to meet on the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS), an important environmental treaty of the United Nations, but perhaps less well-known than its Biodiversity and Climate Change equivalents. CMS provides a global platform for the conservation of migratory animals and their habitats. The CMS published a key report and agreed on new measures to safeguard migratory species. The fi ..read more

…a blog co-written by David Smith, Buglife’s Social Change and Advocacy Officer, and Lisa Manning, Wildlife and Countryside Link’s Nature 2030 Policy and Engagement Officer.  Originally written for Wildlife and Countryside Link in February 2024 to mark the one year anniversary of the GB Non-Native Species Strategy.  Invasive, non-native species pose a serious threat to wildlife in England and are one of the biggest causes of biodiversity loss around the world. Over the last decade, the number of invasive species in the UK has increased in freshwater, terrestrial and marine habitats ..read more

…a blog written by Sarah Hawkes. Buglife’s Natur am Byth! Scarce Yellow Sally Project Officer. Scarce Yellow Sally is a stonefly measuring around 14-20mm long that was thought to be extinct in the UK following 22 years during which no sightings were made at all. However, in 2017 a survey by John Davy-Bowker re-discovered small populations in the River Dee in East Wales. Erica McAlister (left) & Sarah Hawkes (right) © Dr Will Hawkes I am Sarah Hawkes, the newly appointed Project Officer for the Scarce Yellow Sally.  I’m very much hoping to get a chance to see the live animal during our ..read more

…an informative blog written by Emily Shaw, Buglife Conservation Officer delivering Neath Port Talbot B-Lines project, which concluded in September 2023. Most people think of honeybees, when we talk about pollinators, but lots of insects help pollinate flowers including bees, flies, wasps, beetles, butterflies and moths.  Even species such as houseflies, that have a bad reputation, are valuable pollinators! To be an effective pollinator, insects need to actively visit flowers of the same species and be capable of carrying pollen on its body (think of hairy insects!) so that it transfers f ..read more

…a guest blog written by Ed Smit, Founder, Here Now Films The track was steep, half grass half loose rock.  It had peaks and troughs and was designed to keep hatchback cars like ours at bay.  Our suspension was low to the ground due to the camera gear we’d crammed in the boot. Thud, scrape, rev, thud, scrape, rev.  We zigzagged up the path.  This was not how we’d imagined our first bee hunt. Either side of us were broccoli fields, freshly sprouting, the ocean visible just over the far hedges.  Cornwall has an ability to take you from the known to the unknown very quick ..read more

…a blog written by Joshua Clarke, Buglife Northern Ireland Conservation Officer. During 2023, there were several invertebrate finds of interest in Northern Ireland by our Conservation Officer Joshua Clarke. These were found during our surveys of coastal habitats, funded by the DAERA Environment Fund. Spot-winged Spring Beegrabber (Myopa tessellatipennis) © Joshua Clarke First up, is a Conopid fly, the ‘Spot-winged Spring Beegrabber’ (Myopa tessellatipennis) found in April 2023, Co. Down. Conopidae is a family of flies recognisable in the field by their often stout build with broad head and pos ..read more

…a blog written by Jo Loman, Canvey Wick Community Warden It’s time to celebrate! At the end of November 2022, we started a walking and social group at Canvey Wick called “Walk the Wick!”. The concept was simple, to provide a regular social setting where people could engage with nature at Canvey Wick through light exercise and hopefully enhance their wellbeing too. It’s true that November probably isn’t the best month to start such a venture, and with only one week of advertising, it was heartening to have 3 ladies attend the very first session. They were fantastic in helping to spread the wor ..read more

…a guest blog written by Marianne Wootton, Senior Plankton Analyst & NMBAQC Scheme Zooplankton Manager, at Marine Biological Association as part of our COP28 impacts of climate change on invertebrates series. The microscopic world of microbes and mini-beasts are fundamental to our existence on the planet.  On land they consume and break down organic matter, recycling and releasing nutrients that are the building blocks of life.  In aquatic environments they do the same, sitting at the very bottom of the food web, supporting almost all complex lifeforms. Our globe is a watery worl ..read more