As an illustration of just how much sunshine we have had this month, we have just passed 1MWh of production for July. Of the other months this year every one, apart from April, was the poorest in the last four years. #solarpower

My best find today were these Fluted Bird's Nest fungi on the allotment, made up for the lack of veg!

Moth trapping in S.Hants over the weekend attracted this bizarre visitor, a Wasp Nest Beetle, not just odd in appearance, but lifestyle too. A new species for me. #beetles #mothtrapping #gardenwildlife

Plumed Fan-foot & Dewick's Plusia were the pick of last night's trap, both new for the garden, pretty good after 12 years trapping here in S.Hants. #teammoth #moths

Been away for four days and the garden mini-meadow has changed colour. #meadows #wildlife #garden

Possibly the smartest Salticus scenicus I have ever seen, out on the shingle at Hurst Castle, Hants today. #spiders #UKspiders

Myolepta dubia and Volucella inflata in the New Forest this afternoon on a failed late season search for Caliprobola speciosa, which I suspect is over for the year. #hoverflies #insects #NewForest

When it stopped raining the insects came out. A few from LepeCP today. Wood Sage Plume, Marbled White, Ruptela maculata & Wool Carder Bee. All NFY and hopefully a sign of things picking up after a difficult period. #insects #moths

Just about reaching peak Ox-eye Daisy and Corky-fruited Water-dropwort in the garden mini-meadow. Field Scabious and Lady's Bedstraw piosed to take over. #LawnFlowers

This female Clouded Yellow today was the 33rd butterfly species I have recorded in my S.Hants garden. #butterflies #uk #gardenwildlife

Not a moth, but a NFG Clouded Yellow just now suggests there are insects on the move.

Assume this to be Wall Lizard, seen today at Leckford, Hants, poor phone pic only. Also saw my earliest ever Stag Beetle in the garden.

Despite local authorities apparently having enlightened mowing policies my local one has cut most of the local verges so short as to have scalped the ground by the end of March. All cuttings left in place and only the planted daffodils and three-cornered Leek spared.

Ah! When I downloaded my pictures from the other day I see that my first Tephritid of the year was not Tephritis cometa but actually T.divisa. Post in haste regret at leisure!

Another day, another Tephritid, this time Tephritis vespertina, in the garden with a good array of other insects enjoying the sunshine. Eristalis tenax & pertinax (m&f), Tree Bumblebee and at least 2spp of solitary bees.

@dipteristsforum.bsky.social First Tephritid of the year today here in S. Hants, Tephritis cometa in the garden.

Disappointing to see an increase in Feral Pigeon influence in the Rock Dove population of The Mullet, Co Mayo when I was there recently. Perhaps 1/20 showed either "chequers" or darkened plumage. #ornithology #birds

I came across what seems to be Leopoldius calceatus on a low Ivy hedge on the Hants coast today not sure if this is a new county record but certainly a first for me. @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

A "lifer" for me in the garden actinic trap last night, a Striped Hawk-moth, in very good condition as was the Small Marbled, a moth I had not seen before this year's influx. #teammate #hantsmoths

Any Dipterist's out there, does this look like Phasia aurigera to you? Picture taken today in S.Hants garden also lots of Ectophasia crassipennis about too. #Diptera #flies

Mothing continues to be good here in S.Hants, with Lunar-spotted Pinion NFG last night, but top spot went to the ladybird Calvia decemguttata aka the Jersey Ladybird, I got one a couple of weeks ago but it escaped before I got a picture. #teammoth #Hantsmoths

Having yesterday bemoaned my failure to see a Lappet for many, many years, I caught one today! A wonderful beast indeed, but sort of eclipsed by this rather tatty Dark Umber, which is strangely very infrequently recorded in SW Hants and the first that I can ever recall seeing. #teammoth #Hantsmoths

Fig Leaf Skeletoniser NFG this morning, I had only ever seen the larval feeding signs before and that not locally. #teammoth #Hantsmoths

Ran 2 traps in the S.Hants garden last night, 125w MV & 20w actinic. More moths of more species in the MV but actinic had all the quality and all the migrants, including Small Mottled Willow, Bordered Straw and 2 Small Marbled (new moth for me). #teammoth

A new moth, at least as an adult, from the garden last night Acrocercops brongniardella. #TeamMoth

Q. Is iRecord down at present? I don't seem to be able to enter records, either I cannot login at all or if I can the records don't upload. The backlog is growing fast!

An interesting Villa from a weedy field margin beside the Beaulieu River today, photos only unfortunately.

I saw my first White Admiral of 2025 today in the New Forest when looking for hoverflies. @ukbutterflies.bsky.social

The only butterfly I saw in the garden today was this newly minted Dark Green Fritillary, I see the odd one most years but typically much later in the season. @ukbutterflies.bsky.social

A few from Ynyslas on Friday on a failed Pamponerus germanicus hunt. Philonicus albiceps, Dasypoda hirtipes, Thereva nobilitata & Yellow Shell.