Graham Smith

Very excited to announce that I will be starting my PhD 'Measuring the impact of rewilding on pollinator biodiversity: what can machine learning tell us?' supervised by Dr Tom Reader in October @UniofNottingham!! 🐝 Wonderful to visit the Boothby Wildlands study site last week.

It's Great Big Green Week at @DyffrynGardenNT next week! Join me for a series of nature walks on Friday 14th and Saturday 15th June (3 walks per day) to discover the Garden's insect life (dragonflies/damselflies, bees & other pollinators). 🔗 nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wales/dy…

Stumbled upon a Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn ovipositing on hogweed on Saturday, very cool to see! Thought they were deadwood associated until seeing Part 1 of Wil Heeney's talk. Part 2 is this week eventbrite.co.uk/e/longhorn-bee… @NLonghornRS @theponker @ColSocBI @KeironDBrown

If you haven't already - last chance to grab some tickets for the guided insect walks I am running with Honeycraft (a fantastic small charity) today! The walks will be taking place at Everard meadows and there will be signposting on site to find us. eventbrite.co.uk/e/eco-explorer…

@Theponker Probably not optimal (I am early doors with this more than you Will!) but as PG is water soluble I give them a gentle wash with water and then blow dry at a distance on a cold setting pre-pinning - some features never come out as well vs freezer! I really need a mini-hairdrier!

Ento Nerds. I've a bunch of flies in neat Propylene Glycol and wondered what the best way to go about taking them from that to pinning. Have so far removed a few, washed in Iso Alcohol, left to dry on tissue for a bit before pinning.

Near Leicestershire and fancy a bug-filled day out? Honeycraft are running a Blossom & Buzz festival on the 19th May at Everard Meadows honeycraft.org/blossom-and-bu… I will be leading guided walks to explore the site's hidden insect diversity! Sign up £3/person eventbrite.co.uk/e/eco-explorer…

@olds_liam @StevenFalk1 Unfortunately very similar, was hoping you had had better luck! I had next to no suitable sampling days myself last month. Things are looking up for May here so fingers crossed for you too 🤞

@GrahamSmithEnto @StevenFalk1 It's been an awful spring here (very few dry and warm days) so a very slow start to the field season but hopefully it'll improve. Hope you've had better success 😅

Excited to find a ♂ Nomada ferruginata yesterday if my eyes aren't deceived - unexpected test pilot for my capture chamber! If correct I have noticed lots of posts on their expanding range @StevenFalk1 @olds_liam are you aware of any records this far north in South Lincs (VC53)?

@olds_liam @StevenFalk1 Thank you Liam! Hope you have been having an exciting start to the field season - will see what Steven says

@GrahamSmithEnto @StevenFalk1 Great find Graham! I'll leave Steven to comment on the range as I only know its Welsh range in detail.

@BroadGavin @flygirlNHM @NHM_Diptera Brilliant, will do. Thank you Gavin!

Hoping to investigate gathering specimen photos to machine learning - who might it be best to get in touch with regarding accessing and photographing the insect collections? Specifically hoverflies and aculeate hymenoptera (excl. ants)? @BroadGavin @flygirlNHM @NHM_Diptera

@BroadGavin @bob3brown Woah that's amazing @BroadGavin! Would love to see that - which species of wasp nest were they using (germanica or vulgaris)?

@TBeetles @Coleopterist @thiswordistaken On the 5mm mark so that would make sense Adrian, thank you. The size ruled out longicollis anyway. brevicollis does seem to have a more bulbous section on the upper part (is that the velum?) with the termimal part (bottom) less tucked up, and the specimen is metallic blue

@GrahamSmithEnto @Coleopterist @thiswordistaken How big is the beetle? looks very muck like lythri.

Not everyday you post genitalia on here! I have spermatheca (and styles + spiculum) of an Altica sp. however I am having trouble matching to pictures of Duff. A. longicollis seemed most similar but wrong habitat (grassland) Any tips/help @Coleopterist @TBeetles @thiswordistaken?

@StevenFalk1 @olds_liam Brilliant, thank you Steven just seen this, will investigate those!

@GrahamSmithEnto @olds_liam Fauna Helvetica has quite a few but not sure of any comprehensive compilations. Thomas Wood (Mons University, not on X) is probably the best person to approach.

@StevenFalk1 @olds_liam Steven and Liam do you know of any good compilations of photos/diagrams of UK male Andrena genitalia? Nothing like highly specific requests!

@madjanev @StNicksFields What an amazing photo!! Almost looks as though it has had a cream pie smashed over its head!

The face of a tiny moth with a splendid hairdo, Phyllonorycter viminiella, found by my pal Amy at @StNicksFields . I am always amazed by the sheer variety of different scales moths have - and I have no idea how it managed to see past those scales over its eyes!

One of my favourite shieldbug species - uploaded some pixel art here of it yesterday. Aiming to put something out each Sunday!

@olds_liam @rctlnp Beautiful shot Liam! I saw them for the first time this year myself when I wasn't expecting it - made for a great day indeed! After seeing one, it was one after another

It's always a good day when you encounter Wasp Spider (Argiope bruennichi) during a survey - the first time I've seen it in my landlocked home county of Rhondda Cynon Taf (usually find it on the Glamorgan coast).

Last week BBC East Midlands produced a feature on Boothby Wildlands, watch below at 11min 38, available until tonight! I was excited to be interviewed, talk bugs and aesthetically sweep some wheat for the programme! @RewildingB @bbcemt @RoyEntSoc @BBCOne bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod…

@NHM_Coleoptera @Coleopterist @TBeetles @thiswordistaken Date *27.07.23!

Good luck with Tortoise beetles at the moment! Miniscule species with a metallic sheen - Cassida hemisphaerica (High Fen 27.06.23) @NHM_Coleoptera @Coleopterist @TBeetles @thiswordistaken which if so is a new site for a scarce species! Fantastic. Swept near to bladder campion.