Armadillidium depressum, new to Kilkenny from Jerpoint Abbey outside Thomastown at the weekend. Found by my 9 year old daughter ☺️

Two nice flies, Phasia hemiptera and Conops quadrifasciatus at Kilfane Glen & Waterfall, Kilfane, Kilkenny yesterday on Spearmint in an area of meadow grassland.

Monitoring Bog Orchid (Hammarbya paludosa) on John's Hill for the Carlow Rare & Protected Plant Survey. A plant I refound in 2019 after 5 years searching, last recorded in 1990. 1 flowering plant at refind site, with another 5 approx 12 metres west. Extremely inconspicuous & difficult to detect.

Galls of Kiefferia pericarpiicola on Wild Carrot (Daucus carota) near Navan, Co. Meath during the week.

Clockwise from top left: Donacia marginata, Ptychoptera lacustris, 11-spot Ladybird, Oplodontha viridula, Berytinus minor and Rhyzobius litura from a site outside Navan, Co. Meath during the week.

Collected these two 7-spot pupae last week near Clonegal, Co. Carlow. An hour later, 4 x larvae appeared in the pot. Presumed phorid larvae, they have since pupated. Hopefully some adults will emerge in the coming days. A healthy 7-spot Ladybird emerged from the second pupae.

Nice to catch up with the inconspicuous ladybird Scymnus auritus (Oak Scymnus) again today. Beaten from Pedunculate Oak in a former sand & gravel quarry near Clonegal, Co. Carlow.

First Irish record of Phytomyza krygeri Hering, 1949 (Diptera: Agromyzidae), a seed-feeding fly associated with Aquilegia (Columbine). Identification confirmed by Barry Warrington, National Agromyzidae Recording Scheme. Species is Nationally Scarce B in Britain, although it may be under-recorded.

22-spot Ladybird (Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata) on Nipplewort (Lapsana communis) affected by powdery mildew in Kildavin, Co Carlow over the weekend.

The humble Nettle 🌱💪. Clockwise from top left: Grypocoris stysi, 14-spot Ladybird mating pair, Heterogaster urticae, Deraeocoris flavinlea, Netle-tap Moth, Anthocoris sp. nymph, Andrena haemorrhoa and Cixius sp all on Common Nettle along field edge in Kildavin, Co. Carlow this morning.

Leaf mine of Amauromyza verbasci (Agromyzidae) on Great Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) today in Kildavin, Co. Carlow.

Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindela campestris), Two-handed Longhorn (Rhagium bifasciatum) and Rhagonycha lignosa from John's Hill pNHA, Co. Carlow over the weekend.

Puccinia brachypodii var. arrhenatheri on Aarhenatherum elatius in Kildavin, Co. Carlow today @bitheolaidhe.bsky.social?

Early-purple Orchid (Orchis mascula) recorded during fieldwork in Co. Wexford today. Survey was conducted as part of developing a bespoke "Plan for Nature" for the landowner, a biodiversity initiative coordinated by the @burrenbeotrust.bsky.social via The Hare's Corner program.

Some gorgeous pink hues to local Hawthorn around Kildavin, Co. Carlow over the weekend.

For the past few years, I have walked regularly through the grounds of the local church in Kildavin, Co. Carlow. Recently, the church has changed its grassland management strategy, moving away from regular mowing to managing certain areas as meadow grassland. Great to see! #wildflowerhour

Nice suprise today scuttling over the steps of Aghade Church (the shieldbug, not me) outside Tullow, Co. Carlow. A new site for Forget-me-not Shieldbug (Sehirus luctuosus).

Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis) & Cowslip (Primula veris) along a roadside verge of the N80 near Kildavin, Co. Carlow at the weekend.

Mating 22-spot Ladybird pair, Red-headed Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis) and Aceria crataegi gall on Hawthorn leaf along the Slaney near Clonegal, Co. Carlow yesterday.

Yellow Archangel (Lamiastrum galeobdolon subsp. montanum) along the River Slaney upstream of Kilcarry Bridge, Co. Carlow. #wildflowerhour

Few-flowered Garlic (Allium paradoxum) along the Barrow at Goresbridge and Shining Crane's-bill (Geranium lucidum) at Borris today. Also a rust on Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) @bitheolaidhe.bsky.social #wildflowerhour

Nysius huttoni mating pair, 7-spot Ladybird, 14-spot Ladybird and Armadillidium depressum from Kildavin, Co. Carlow today.

Meadow Ladybird (Rhyzobius litura) under driftwood amongst Marram in the dunes at Ballinesker Beach, Co. Wexford today.

Bugs Corizus hyoscyami (Rhopalidae) & Acalypta parvula (Tingidae) from the Raven, Wexford yesterday.

Nice to get a comparison shot of these 3 (somewhat) cooperative inconspicuous ladybirds at the Raven Nature Reserve, Wexford this evening. Coccidula rufa (top right), Nephus redtenbacheri (bottom right) and Rhyzobius litura (left).

Eupeodes sp. pupa and Platycheirus scutatus agg. larva on headstones in Kildavin, Carlow yesterday.

Distinctive looking mite yesterday on Scots Pine bark in Kildavin, Carlow. Leptus trimaculatus (Erythraeidae) potentially.

Several Nysius huttoni sieved from leaf litter in a graveyard in Clonegal, Co. Carlow today. A ground bug native to New Zealand.

It has taken over two years for @vc40ladybirds.bsky.social & I to attract another Willow Ladybird (Scymnus limbatus), an extremely small & elusive species, to the refugia we designed in an attempt to learn more about them. It has been a long wait but we found one yesterday, plus an Anthocorid bug

After a two year hiatus, @vc40orthops.bsky.social and I were really pleased to finally find another Willow Ladybird (Scymnus limbatus) using our refugia yesterday. 🥰 New for my #LadybirdYearList #VC40Ladybirds #MicroLadybird