Our Photographic Guide to Flies of Britain & Ireland bit.ly/4dqQI8Z has received widespread critical acclaim as a groundbreaking, long-overdue field guide. It's the first popular, widely accessible guide to British & Irish flies since 1951 @bbowt.bsky.social @tverc1.bsky.social

You may have spotted hummingbird hawk-moths hovering around in recent months, but it's rarer to see them stationary! This iconic moth paid a visit to Assistant Ecologist Lou's house. She caught it in a glass where it immediately played dead, and placed it on red valerian flowers before it flew off.

A scary sight for an ecologist 👀 The chalk grassland flora on our nature reserves in the Chilterns have suffered during this summer’s drought. On a recent visit to Grangelands, Senior Ecologist Colin Williams found a relatively lush and green patch of Tor Grass (Chalk False Brome).

This summer has seen a full house of swifts at Woolley Firs Environmental Education Centre! Community Organiser and resident swift advocate, Barbara Polonara, shows us the gifts they leave behind... 🐣 👉 Find out how you can build a swift box: bbowt.org.uk/actions/how-build-swift-box

We’re looking for a proactive Café Manager to lead and be hands-on across our café and catering operations. ☕ You’ll drive profitability, develop our team, champion customer satisfaction, and ensure the highest standards of compliance. Apply now: www.bbowt.org.uk/jobs/cafe-ma...

🦋 "One lucky worker, with just the right aroma, found himself with three-quarters of a purple emperor in his hand." 👉 Read the latest from Finemere Wood by Volunteer Warden Charlotte Karmali: www.bbowt.org.uk/blog/charlot... 📸 Joe Read

Sphecodes monilicornis (Box-headed Blood Bee), female. Seen @bbowt.bsky.social College Lake Reserve yesterday. A small, colourful bee with a large head!

🤔 Ever wondered how we keep our boardwalks at Pitstone Fen so clean and shiny? We have a little help with polishing from our Hebridean sheep... 📸 Emma Routledge

The emoji keyboard is missing a few of our favourite local wildlife...👀 Meet the kingfisher, coot chick, hummingbird hawk-moth and cockchafer!🪲 Which one gets your vote? 🖌️ Illustrations by Prisha

🌧️ A treat for yesterday's volunteer work party at Grangelands Nature Reserve, as the rain made a special guest appearance! Not everyone was prepared... 📸 Charles Haines

It's kinda chic to make your garden a little wilder 🌿 From leaving some grass long to putting out fresh water, there are plenty of small things you can do to help wildlife keep cool this summer ☀️💧 👉️ See how you can help your local wildlife: bbowt.org.uk/actions/help-wildlife-hot-weather

There's been lots of activity at Whitecross Green Wood, with ruddy darters and willow emerald damselflies spotted by volunteer Warden Phil Townsend. 👉 Find out more about these fantastic flyers in our blog: bbowt.org.uk/blog/kate-titford/how-tell-difference-between-dragonflies-and-damselflies

Male Flecked General (Stratiomys singularior) seen on umbellifers at BBOWT's Parsonage Moor (a top site for soldierflies in Britain), Cothill at the weekend. Discover more in our flyble bit.ly/4dqQI8Z @bbowt.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @gailashton.bsky.social @rdimond.bsky.social

Butterfly nos dropping with the ultra parched conditions at @bbowt.bsky.social Dancersend Extension but thrilled to finally see my first Hornet Robberfly of the year with its lovely silver beard - echoed a few steps later with the first Chiltern Gentians in flower with lovely silver fringes of hairs

Once again, the Government has let down chalk streams and the people who care about them. Earlier this year, over 5,000 people called for stronger protections for chalk streams and that they be given the irreplaceable habitat status they deserve.

🕷️ Like many other black-and-yellow invertebrates, the wasp spider's striking colours are a way to ward off predators. If that weren't enough, it also has a defence mechanism called 'web-flexing'. By rapidly bending and extending its legs in a pulsing rhythm, it can scare aware away predators.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to Crookham Common on Friday afternoon to attend a fire. The firefighters remained on site overnight and the fire was fortunately contained, but we still lost a hectare of heath to the fire.

Healthy environment = healthy people. Healthy life expectancy in the UK keeps falling. But evidence shows that time in nature can boost your mood, reduce stress, support physical health, and help you recover faster. 💚 How has nature helped you? #FixNatureFixHealth

💛🦋 The clouded yellow is a migrant butterfly that flies here from North Africa and southern Europe. In southern England, they are particularly fond of chalk grassland, and this one was photographed by Volunteer Warden @mickdjones.bsky.social on the restored chalk grassland at Dancersend Extension!

It looked like the whole of West Berkshire joined us at the Nature Discovery Centre last night to watch the solar eclipse! Thank you to the incredible team of staff and volunteers for hosting the event and cooking up a delicious Indian Thali meal for the visitors. 📸 Karen Hartshorn

Anyone for a game of 'the floor is lava'? 🌋 This jackdaw is scouring the Hebridean sheep at Wells Farm for ticks and other parasites, and in breeding season will remove loose fleece to use as nesting material - a wonderful example of symbiotic relationships in nature. 📸 Ilona Livarski-Bond

Conditions are bone dry at @bbowt.bsky.social Dancersend Extension amazing that patches of tough wildflowers are hanging on. Chiltern Gentians pushing up and more purple than normal, Blue Fleabane loving it. Sadly, our pond is destined to dry out with no chance of rain for another week - so sad!

Caterpillar or unicorn? 🦄 Our Senior Ecologist, Colin Williams, spotted this lime hawk-moth caterpillar whilst surveying at Greenham Common! It gets its name from the fact that the caterpillars feed on the leaves of lime trees - though they also feed on birch, alder and elm.

We had a wonderful time at the Big Family Day Out on Saturday at the Sutton Courtenay Environmental Education Centre! 🦋 With over 300 people attending, the site was abuzz with minibeast hunting, bird spotting, stream dipping, live storytelling, crafts, stalls, cakes and more!

Nature helps us all stay well. But not everyone has the same experiences of nature. Access to open natural spaces isn’t equal. We’re collecting real experiences to help shape national policy. #FixNatureFixHealth

🦋 Three blue butterflies you might see on the wing! Have you spotted any near you? 👉 Discover more and read our guide to the blue butterflies: bbowt.org.uk/blog/thewildlifetrusts/guide-blue-butterflies

As the climate crisis brings more frequent heatwaves and hotter, drier conditions, the risk of wildfires is increasing. We're seeing the impact across the UK right now 🔥 A single fire can have devastating consequences for people, wildlife and the precious habitats that nature depends on.

🌱 It's always a delight to see a passion for nature take root early in life! Twelve-year-old Isaac from Bucks has been using his incredible knowledge to write about nature in the UK. 👉 Learn more about hawk-moths, migrating amphibians, and convergent evolution here: pernaturewithisaac.blogspot.com

🦋 What do you call a pair of commas? Wrong answers only in the comments 👇 📸 Bianca Rush

🦗 It's prime time to hear grasshoppers singing but how do they do it? Get the lowdown 👇 Want to know more about our jumping friends? Try our blog to find out about great green bush-crickets, why you might spot a praying mantis and which one sounds like a sewing machine buff.ly/9Syx0yy