This Hummingbird Hawkmoth, one of several we saw at Whixall Moss on Wednesday, landed right in front of me. The first time I've ever seen one perched!

Bit of a surprisingly large invertebrates theme happening lately. 1st this very unwelcome Signal Crayfish, unearthed in Rattlinghope last week, then yesterday I found a 170mm Swan Mussel during the Tanyptera Trust recoding Day at Grimsargh Wetlands (private site with special access) near Preston.

Red Marsh Ladybird, Coccidula rufa, from last week's wildlife group trip to Rattlinghope.

Some insects from the wildlife group's trip to Rattlinghope last week: Golden-ringed Dragonfly, Bombus rupestris, female Long-winged Conehead and newly hatched Hairy Shieldbug nymphs.

Three of very many Mottled Grasshoppers seen at Heswall Dales NR on The Wirral last week during a Tanyptera Trust recording Day.

Male Ring-legged Earwig, Euborellia annulipes, one of several found at Chester Zoo on Thursday, searching behind the scenes (with permission, which is very much required).

Rumours of a Clouded Yellow locally were more than substantiated this afternoon when two turned up on my Buddleia! Unsurprisingly, a garden first. Not at all tolerant of each other & soon disappeared, replaced almost immediately by a Hummer. This is not your average summer, though how many are, now?

For no particular reason, a female Tufted Duck & her four bundles of fluff offspring, being very relaxed yesterday in Apley Woods, Telford.

The Tanyptera Trust trip to Alvaston Hall, Cheshire a couple of weeks ago turned up this rather odd Aculeate, one of the 'DEB' species. The first time I've ever seen a DEB, it has now been provisionally identified as Bethylus fuscicornis.

My photos of the three Willow Ladybird (Scymnus limbatus) larvae @vc40ladybirds.bsky.social & I found in the artificial refugia that we have had in place for the past three years. There have been long gaps between records (2.5 years!) so we are very chuffed to see these three.

A male Lesser Marsh Grasshopper, part of a large population discovered during the Tanyptera Trust day at Alvaston Hall last Friday, only the 2nd confirmed Cheshire record. @tanyptera.bsky.social

Got both species of oak bush-crickets at Alvaston Hall near Nantwich during Friday's Tanyptera Trust field day. Both female nymphs: a penultimate instar Southern Oak and a final instar Oak. Though it is one stage older, the very much bigger wing-bugs of Oak BC are very obvious.

Yesterday's wildlife group outing in rural SW Shrops produced this fab Giant Lacewing (Osmylus fulvicephalus), found by @lancefly.bsky.social at the shady edge of the River Clun. 1st one I've ever seen. Posed nicely for me but then flew off before anyone else could tog it!

Another excellent find by @vc40ladybirds.bsky.social during our recent trip to Berck, France was Dusky Ladybird, Scymnus rubromaculatus. The first time I have seen this c.2.5mm long species which is recently established in a couple of places in SE England.

Good to see several Bryony Ladybirds in Berck, France recently with @rockwolf74.bsky.social , including an ovipositing female.

Some nice shieldbugs seen in Berck, France last week with @rockwolf: Dyroderes umbraculatus, Cydnus atterimus and the Striped Shieldbug, Graphosoma italicum.

Berck (& it seems, most of France) is choc full of the Variable Cockroach, Planuncus tingitanus. At this time of year they are smallish nymphs & rained out of anything & everything that @rockwolf74.bsky.social or I hit with a stick!

Lucky enough to see two species of dune tiger beetle in Berck, France last week with @rockwolf74.bsky.social : Cicindela maritima & C. hybrida. Not that I spotted the difference until it was pointed out to me!

Good to see a number of Blue-winged Grasshopper (Oedipoda caerulescens) nymphs in Berck, France, with @rockwolf74.bsky.social earlier this week, the first time I've seen this species.

Back from a few days chasing Tawny/Giant/Shore/Striped Earwigs (Labidura riparia) in northern France (Berck) with @rockwolf74.bsky.social. We found nearly 50, which was more than we dared to hope for! What stunning creatures they are! Such a shame that they are extinct in Britain.

A pristine Large Heath seen last Friday at Meathop Moss in Cumbria.

Finding an 11-spot Ladybird (only 2nd one I've ever found & 1st since 2017) at Crag Bank NR was not in the script. Its a fen; 11-spot likes dry, sandy places! Looks like what I think is a Meadow Ladybird (Rhyzobius litura) larva is having a word in its ear in 1st shot with a thrips listening in!

Lots of Short-winged Conehead (Conocephalus dorsalis) nymphs at Crag Bank NR nr Carnforth yesterday, seen during a Tanyptera Trust field meeting. C. fuscus is absent here so ID is certain. Also heard first singing Common Green Grasshopper of the year, always a red-letter day for me!

A variety of Common Green Grasshopper nymphs seen last Weds at White Grit. The first two are 3rd instars; the last is a tiny 1st instar. Only one is green but all are Omocestus viridulus!

Green Hairstreak and Small Copper, both seen on Wednesday at White Grit Meadows SSSI just over the Shropshire border in Montgomeryshire Vice County (Powys).

Lots of other interest during last Wednesday's wildlife group outing to This Isle, including a Common Clubtail fresh from the nearby River Severn, a Snouted Duck Fly (it has a very oddly-shaped face which isn't visible in this shot), Yellow-legged Water Snipeflies and a Purple Hairstreak larva.

It definitely seems to be that time of year: 14-spot Ladybirds, Red-headed Cardinal Beetles and Wasp Beetles, all seen last Weds at The Isle & all in the business of propagating their species.

Delighted to see not one but two Phaeostigma notata snakeflies at The Isle, Bicton on Weds. That's about 5 years' worth of sightings at normal rates!

Very happy to find my first ever Parasyrphus nigritarsus eggs and larvae in Green Dock Beetle egg batches yesterday during the wildlife group's trip to the Bicton area. This hoverfly predates the eggs of various leaf beetles, laying its own eggs (the smaller, white ones) within their egg batches.

A nice find last Weds (not by me) was this relative of the malachite beetles, Anthocomus fasciatus. One I don't think I've ever seen before and classified as nationally scarce.