Category Archives: Lockdown Diary

Froghoppers are part of the Hemiptera insect order that includes cicadas, shield bugs and aphids. Certainly, their resemblance to shield bugs is clear. When I photographed this one I assumed it was a late instar* of a shieldbug. They are … Continue reading →

Some random pictures from the garden are scattered through this piece… When I was a grammar school boy in Maidstone, most years the town would flood when the Medway overflowed across a large carpark into the bottom of the high … Continue reading →

I’m a birder not a bugger, but lockdown has definitely been a time where I have been watching and finding out more about insects and other invertebrates. Necessity is not just the mother of invention but of research and interest … Continue reading →

As I write the wind is blowing at around 35MPH… I cannot ever remember such strong winds in June. Two days ago, the thunderstorm was beset with even stronger winds bending the trees and making it feel like Autumn not … Continue reading →

Interestingly, this bee has two broods each season, the first flies from march to June and the Second from June to late August. They collect pollen from a very wide range of flowers and are not habitat specialists. It is … Continue reading →

With an uncertain forecast and a bone dry and drooping garden I watered at around 8.30pm yesterday. The thunder started soon after midnight and the storm flashed and banged all night. 6.30am not so much torrential rain as a monsoon … Continue reading →

I get very few beetles in my garden, not even ladybirds despite trying to create favourable conditions. But yesterday I had two beetle species. Scarlet Lily Beetle Lilioceris lilii Most gardeners would despatch any they see if they cultivate any … Continue reading →

Not so much a post as a tribute… nothing is more beloved of bees than borage (spmetimes called starflower). Borage Borago officinalis

In the past I would have assumed that a bee I saw was just a honeybee, albeit a slightly different one. But today I noticed how much smaller it was and rather grey compared to a honeybee. Of course, put … Continue reading →

Another species I’ve not seen for several years and a little research shows me why. They are a migrant to the UK and are sometimes really abundant and very widespread, at other times barely present. I suspect the movement of … Continue reading →