Ryan Clark

@ryanclarkecology.bsky.social

Freelance ecologist based in Cumbria, specialising in pollinators. Passionate about insects, biological recording, wildflowers, and bryophytes. www.euceraecology.co.uk

Do you know someone who records terrestrial or freshwater wildlife and is increasing our understanding of nature in the UK? If so, why not nominate them for the NBN Award for Terrestrial Wildlife Recording? bit.ly/NBNawards26n... Deadline - 18 May #NBNawards26

Nominations for the NBN Awards for Wildlife Recording 2026 - National Biodiversity Network

Nominations for the NBN Awards for Wildlife Recording 2026 Through these Awards, the NBN Trust: National Biodiversity Network Trust, recognises … Continued

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Not sure where January went! Alongside recharging/hibernation, January was spent recording bryophyes, catching up on identification/ recording (including my 5000th species in Britain) and amazing music 😊

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The Gold-tailed Melitta aka Bellflower Blunthorn Bee, Melitta haemorrhoidalis, is one of my favourite bees. The females (picture 1) collect pollen from Campanula species but also visit Geraniums for nectar. The males (picture 2) are super cute too and sleep in flowers, often in little groups.

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The females of the Belted Beauty moth are especially bizarre, like fluffy woodlice wearing stripey socks. Their wings are only 2mm or so long, so don't function, meaning that they have to use pheromones to draw the males to them!

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Lovely to see some solitary bees out and about enjoying the sunshine recently. Including these two Tawny Mining Bees (Andrena fulva), male Hairy-footed Flower Bee (Anthophora plumipes) and a male Andrena of some kind.

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Solorina saccata, the Chocolate Chip Lichen, is a species I've wanted to see for ages! It was great to stumble across some yesterday in Yorkshire. This species favours sheltered limestone rocks and is rather charismatic!

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Two Pammene giganteana (Early Oak Gall Moth) to FUN lure on the edge of Carlisle today. The larva of this species feeds on spongy galls on oak trees. This species was considered rare until it was realised that they come to lures intended for other species.

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