Liam Olds
@liamolds.bsky.social
π¦ Entomologist | Invertebrate Ecologist π΄σ §σ ’σ ·σ ¬σ ³σ Ώ Director of @gloinatur.bsky.social π Passion for brownfields & wild bees πͺ² Organiser of UK Oil Beetle Recording Scheme π South Wales #GloiNatur #CoaltoNature #SouthWalesValleys π gloinatur.org
Join me on guided pollinator walks at Margam Country Park tomorrow (Wed 5th August) β¬οΈ
Glo i Natur CIC@gloinatur.bsky.social Β· yesterdayπ What's buzzing through Margam? Join us Wed 5 Aug for a guided pollinator walk at Margam Country Park. Discover bees, butterflies, hoverflies & other fascinating insects, learn how to identify them, and explore why they're so important. π 10β12 | π 1β3 ποΈ Free π www.trybooking.com/uk/GMMH
πΈπ Buzzing Through Margam: A Pollinator Walk Join Glo i Natur CIC for a guided walk through Margam Country Park to discover the fascinating world of pollinators. π 5th Aug π 10β12 | π 1β3 ποΈ Free (booking essential) π www.trybooking.com/uk/GMMH #Pollinators #GloiNatur #Margam #NeathPortTalbot
Then join us on Sat 8 Aug (10amβ4pm) for a day of FREE wildlife activities! π¦ Guided walks π¦ Moth reveal π Nature treasure hunts πͺ΅ Willow weaving, bug hunting & crafts πΏ Wildlife stalls β Free refreshments π Gaer Hill Fort, Newport (via Wells Close, NP20 3LJ) π§΅β¬οΈ
πΏπ¦π Join us for the Gaer Hill Fort BioBlitz! The BioBlitz begins on Friday evening with a guided bat walk led by local bat expert Peter Wilton-Jones. π¦ Friday 7th August π£ 8:45pmβ10:30pm ποΈ Free, but booking essential π Gaer Hill Fort, Newport π www.trybooking.com/uk/GTIH π§΅β¬οΈ
Our programme includes events in Aberdare, Loughor, Margam, Newport, Neath, Gower, Blaenavon, Port Talbot, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen and more, with activities suitable for beginners, wildlife enthusiasts and families alike. We'd love to see you there!
Glo i Natur CIC@gloinatur.bsky.social Β· 2w agoπ¦ August with Glo i Natur CIC π August is shaping up to be another busy month, with events taking place across South Wales to celebrate our incredible Welsh wildlife. π See our Facebook (facebook.com/gloinatur) or subscribe to our newsletter via the website (gloinatur.org) for our August events.
New BeeWalk data shows that extreme temperatures can cause bumblebee colonies to decline and populations to shrink the following spring. With more intense heatwaves on the horizon, some of our most cherished species could be pushed to the brink. Read more: https://ow.ly/JMNs50ZqHir
Join @valelnp.bsky.social and myself at Aberthaw Nature Reserve this Friday (24th July) as we search for the darkling beetle Helops caeruleus - a rare species in Wales. ποΈ Free: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lost-and-f...
On Thursday, Christian and I were at Kenfig NNR showcasing the rare invertebrates that are qualifying features of the SSSI to colleagues from NRW. Highlights included the jumping spider Phlegra fasciata and numerous White-spotted False Widows (Steatoda albomaculata), including spiderlings.
FREE Habitat courses! Interested in learning how to identify and record different types of habitats? Join SEWBReC & @rctcouncil.bsky.social Ecology team at Pant Marsh #Pontyclun and Dare Valley Country Park #Aberdare this summer. Booking essential, email info@sewbrec.org.uk to secure a space.
Join me this Wednesday for a sand dune invertebrate training day β¬οΈ
Glo i Natur CIC@gloinatur.bsky.social Β· 3w agoποΈπͺ² Fancy exploring the hidden wildlife of the sand dunes? Join us for a hands-on training day at Aberavon Beach, discovering specialist insects and other invertebrates of sand dunes. π 15 July π 10amβ3pm π Aberavon Beach, Port Talbot ποΈ Free β booking essential π www.trybooking.com/uk/GLMLN
Wales Nature Week is almost upon us! Join me at Pembrey Country Park on Thursday 9th July for two FREE guided insect walks as part of 'Gone Wild' - a day of nature celebrations ππ¦ #WalesNatureWeek #Carmarthenshire #Nature #Wildlife #Events #Pembrey #GoneWild #Llanelli
Pantaloon Bees! Rained off on today's survey at Merthyr Mawr National Nature Reserve, but worth getting drenched to see lots of Pantaloon Bees (Dasypoda hirtipes) nesting in the sand π One of my (many) favourite British bees π
Join me this Wednesday for a hands-on training day into meadow invertebrates β¬οΈ
Glo i Natur CIC@gloinatur.bsky.social Β· last mo.πΌ Join us this Wednesday for a Life in the Meadow training day at Tegeirian Community Meadow, Neath! Discover the amazing insects living in wildflower meadows, improve your ID skills, and learn how meadow management benefits wildlife. π 10amβ2pm ποΈ Free π www.trybooking.com/uk/GLRE
Found another 'Bee City' at Castlemartin Range, Pembrokeshire. No activity but plenty of evidence of the Golden-fringed Mason Bees nesting in the discarded brass ammunition casings. Casings supporting bee larvae have a leaf mastic (chewed plant material) plug. Added a few extra casings too βΊοΈ
Today was my first visit to the 'Bee City' at Castlemartin Range, Pembrokeshire, since April. This extraordinary population of Golden-ringed Mason Bee (Osmia aurulenta) nest in empty ammunition casings - an incredible adaptation to living on an activity military site!
Great trip with NRW & @naturambyth.bsky.social to look for rare fen inverts at Cors Geirch NNR. Idiocera sexguttata (Cranefly), Ground Beetle Chlaenius tristis (only UK site), Attulus caricis. @graemelyons.bsky.social @liamolds.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @britishspiders.bsky.social
π¦ #Clearwing #Moth #Training β this Friday! Learn how to identify and survey for the Six-belted Clearwing, a day-flying moth associated with flower-rich grasslands and coal spoil habitats. π Fri 19 June π Blaenserchan Valley LNR, #Pontypool, #Torfaen ποΈ Free π www.eventbrite.com/e/moth-phero...
Chuffed to see the damsel bug Himacerus boops at Kenfig Burrows today - a species that I've encountered only a couple of occasions in 11 years of recording bugs. This species appears (to me) to be genuinely scarce in the UK, and certainly rare within the context of Wales.
Back at Kenfig Burrows today with Christian Owen, searching for some of the reserve's rarest invertebrates for NRW. We managed to find 3 target species, including the false widow spider Steatoda albomaculata. We found two individuals β a male and female (in the photo). @britishspiders.bsky.social
Fancy brushing up on your pollinator ID? Join us at Singleton Park, Swansea, today π
Glo i Natur CIC@gloinatur.bsky.social Β· 2mo agoβοΈ Looking for something to do today? βοΈ Join us for a pollinator walk at Singleton Park, #Swansea π π 10:00amβ12:00pm | π 1:00pmβ3:00pm β οΈ 7 paces remaining (5 in AM, 2 in PM)! π www.trybooking.com/uk/GMXU π This event is FREE, but booking is essential.
πΏπ·οΈ A record turnout for today's Fenland Wonders walk at Pant-y-Sais Fen! The sun finally appeared and so did some incredible wildlife. Highlights included large numbers of the rare reed beetle Plateumaris bracata β we recorded more individuals today than have ever been recorded in Wales before! π€―
Visit to a garden centre I haven't looked around in before produced two Marpissa muscosa and a Holocnemus pluchei. I know not many records in my VC41 for either. Went to check but the BAS ATLAS has an 'elasticsearch' error. @britishspiders.bsky.social @cofnod.org.uk @sewbrec.org.uk
Cracking walk today at Pant y Sais fen led by Liam, Sparrow & Carys from @gloinatur.bsky.social , even managed to see the Fen Raft Spider in full nursery mode protecting its eggs. Hopefully the first of many peatland specialist inverts for me this summer!
Like to learn about recording habitats? Join us and @rctcouncil.bsky.social at Dare Valley Park on 25th June for FREE training on identifying grassland and heathland habitats and how to record them. Booking is essential, please email info@sewbrec.org.uk to secure a space.
Good news! Ministers have finally given green light to new #NaturalHistory GCSE. Weβve campaigned so long for this! Big hats off to tireless advocate Mary Colwell π Now our young people will have a chance to get to know & love the natural world, to feel awe & wonder, & gain skills to protect it π·π³π¦‘
Natural history GCSE to teach teenagers to plant wildflower-friendly gardens
Long-awaited course to examine human effects on natural world and explore everyday ways to aid biodiversity
theguardian.com
ππ¦ Learn to survey for the Six-belted Clearwing at Blaenserchan Valley LNR, Pontypool! π 19 June ποΈ Free Discover how to identify this fascinating day-flying moth, its coal spoil habitat, and how pheromone lures can be used to find it. Further info & booking at www.eventbrite.com/e/moth-phero...
#RecordOfTheWeek today is a gorgeous Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) in Cefn Golau Cemetery during a Glo i Natur BioBlitz. It's Love Your Burial Grounds Week, an annual celebration of nature & history from @caringforgodsacre.bsky.social Photo Β© Liam Olds #ChurchesCountOnNature
πΏβͺ A great finale to #LoveYourBurialGroundWeek at St Illtyd's Church, #Aberbeeg! Despite cool weather, we recorded ~160 species in the flower-rich churchyard. Thanks to everyone who joined us, the Friends Of group for refreshments, and #BlaenauGwent & Torfaen LNP for supporting the event. π
π Bryn Tip Biodiversity Discovery Day β Postponed & Rearranged π Unfortunately, due to poor weather, we have made the decision to postpone tomorrow's event. π New date: Friday 17th July 2026 π www.trybooking.com/uk/GEJV Thank you for your understanding, and we hope to see you in July!
Bryn Tip - Biodiversity Discovery Day
Join Glo i Natur CIC at Bryn Tip Local Nature Reserve for a Biodiversity Discovery Day. This training event will introduce participants to the...
trybooking.com
Great day today recording wildlife at Cefn Golau Cemetery, Tredegar. Join us at St Illtyds Church on Wednesday from 10 AM to 1 PM.
Glo i Natur CIC@gloinatur.bsky.social Β· 2mo agoπΏπ¦ A fantastic BioBlitz at Cefn Golau Cemetery today as part of #LoveYourBurialGroundWeek! We were blown away by the flower-rich grasslands. In just 3 hours we recorded nearly 200 species of plants, invertebrates, birds, reptiles & lichens. Next stop: St Illtyds Church, Aberbeeg, on Wednesday! π