Tessera

Thea Nicholls

@thattnicholls.bsky.social

Slightly annoyed it’s taken me nearly 60 years to realise how fascinating arthropods are (esp. flies, bees, wasps, arachnids moths, beetles, bugs and, well, all types really). Fungi are amazing too. Carver, printmaker and occasional writer. OTBC!

90 Posts80 Follower 105 Folgt

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · 2d ago

💔Tragic: swifts are finding their chicks dumped in skips and their nests blocked up by building work. 🚨We need an emergency system that forces police & councils to act IMMEDIATELY when nests are threatened. Sign the petition now 👇 you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/sa...

Save swift nests before building work blocks or obstructs them

Swifts are in trouble. Their UK breeding population fell by 70% between 1995 and 2024, and they are now on the UK Red List of birds of conservation concern. When a swift's nest entrance is blocked, e...

you.38degrees.org.uk

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · 2w ago

Had a brick at the window this weekend. Thankfully, unlike last year this one was self-propelled instead of human-propelled and the window stayed intact. Please let me know if I’ve got the id wrong. #teammoth #moths

A brown moth sat on the side of a plastic collection pot. It has a dark brown outline of a circle about a third of the way down each wing. Underneath the circle is a dark brown kidney-shaped outline. On the inside of each kidney shape is a black mark that looks like a burn mark (it isn’t). A wavy scalloped line goes across the wing near the bottom. The moth looks a bit tatty with some chunks out of the bottom of its wings.

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · 3w ago

Found my first wild #cockroach last night. It was chilling on the bathroom ceiling (because where else would it be?!). I think it’s a dusky cockroach, possibly a nymph. Can anyone confirm that for me please? The thorax was lighter than it looks in the photos. #insects #entomology

An insect with black eyes, very long antennae pale, spiky legs and a pair of short, thin appendages on the rear of its abdomen sits in white pot lid. Its top half (head and thorax) are light brown and its abdomen is dark brown. The wings are transparent.

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · 3w ago

Garden tick! ✅

A red and black bug sits on some dead leaves. It is a Firebug and a first for our garden.

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · 4w ago

A bit fed up tonight. The small colony of Firebugs by our garden has been swept up by a neighbour 😱. Tomorrow will see an intervention on their garden waste bin to try and rescue any survivors. Meanwhile I’m consoling myself with cake 🍰 Tidiness is such a blight on nature 😡 #insects

Nicolas Hénin @nicolashenin.net · last mo.

Nice campaign by the Norwegian Consumer Council about the declining lifespan of products. Enjoy!

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · last mo.

Met the new nextdoor neighbours today (Firebugs - Pyrrochoris apterus - in case you’re wondering)…. If they shuffle sideways by a metre or so they’ll be a new garden tick for us. The urge to give them a nudge is very strong 😬 #insects #bugs #hemiptera

A group of bright red bugs in amongst some dead leaves and twigs. Some of them have black marks all over their body. Others just have a black mark at the top of their body.

A pear-shaped bright red adult Firebug sitting on my finger. It has a black head and a black rectangle outlined in red below it on its neck. At the top of its body is a black triangle with a small black dot either side of it. Under the triangle are two large black dots and under them there is a large black shield shape with three points.

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · last mo.

Nice to see some #fungi on our stroll through #EarlhamCemetery today. I think this is a bolete with the early stage of Hypomyces Chrysospermus - bolete mould. Is this right @norwichbirder.bsky.social @ians4ad.bsky.social @jeremybartlett.bsky.social?

A cream coloured mushroom in a patch of grass is covered in a white mould which looks like froth.

A close-up image of the underside of the cap of a cream coloured mushroom. The mushroom doesn’t have gills. Instead it looks sponge-like with lots of small pores where the spores come out. Around the edge of the cap and on the lower part of the stem are blobs of white mould of different sizes. Some of the blobs have joined up to make a coating over the cap.

James Emerson @norwichbirder.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Something to look for this month…

Galling,@galling.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Gall of the week is caused by the cynipid wasp Cynips longiventris f. agamic on Oaks, Quercus spp. Should be fairly easy to find now. Photo by P. Shirley.

Protect the Wild @protectthewild.bsky.social · last mo.

Use Protect the Wild's form to send an email asking for Angela Rayner to put a halt to AI data centres: protectthewild.org.uk/no-to-data-c...

No to data centres, yes to wildlife! - Protect the Wild

No to AI data centres, yes to wildlife! 15925 people have taken action so far. Help us reach 50000 First name Last name Email Phone Subject Letter Dear Secretary of State Angela Rayner, I am writing…

protectthewild.org.uk

Protect the Wild @protectthewild.bsky.social · last mo.

In July 2023, the eagle fell from his nest and broke his wing. His parents nursed him back to health. At the time, the RSPB called him the "miracle chick". The bird has been nicknamed Kinky by humans, and flies with a distinctive pattern.

RSPB Scotland @rspbscotland.bsky.social · last mo.

There’s still time to help Save Coul Links. More than 20,000 people have spoken up to protect this unique and beautiful place and stop precious wildlife being destroyed for a golf course. It’s now up to Ministers to decide its fate. You can add your voice here: action.rspb.org.uk/page/166270/...

Landscape photo showing Coul Links. Sand dunes and sea to the left and sprawling grasses to the right.

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · last mo.

Visited the annual spectacle of the ivy bee colony along the main drive at #EarlhamCemetery the other day. Among all the mating mayhem there was this little chap fast asleep on a plantain leaf. He’d obviously had a busy day and needed an early night! #bees #insects

A bee is clinging, head downwards, on a green leaf as it sleeps. It has a long black antenna, black eyes and its thorax (chest and back) is covered in orange hairs. Its abdomen is black with five orange stripes and its legs are covered in pale grey hairs.

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · 2mo ago

A massive plastic pellet spill is threatening North Sea wildlife 🌊 Coastal communities are stepping up, but we need action. Join us and ask @andyburnham.bsky.social to launch an emergency response & hold polluters accountable! #NurdleSpill #StopPollution action.friendsoftheearth.uk/petition/tyn...

Tell Andy Burnham: Save the North Sea from plastic pellet disaster

One of the UK's biggest spills of plastic pellets (or “nurdles”) is flooding the North East’s coastline. It could harm wildlife in the North Sea for decades. Thousands of volunteers – including Friend...

action.friendsoftheearth.uk

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · 3mo ago

I’m helping save Coul Links. Will you? Coul Links is a beautiful and unique wildlife habitat in the Scottish Highlands. But it is threatened once again with development. Join me in urging Scottish Ministers to say no to this damaging application. action.rspb.org.uk/page/166270/...

Save Coul Links!

Your voice could help save this precious habitat from a new threat of development.

action.rspb.org.uk

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Join me and tell Chancellor John Healey: no more airport expansion while we’re in a climate emergency 🚨🌎 @friends-earth.bsky.social 👇 action.friendsoftheearth.uk/petition/sto...

Tell John Healey: don’t put plane profits before planet

The UK government has backed airport expansion while we're in a climate emergency. Expanding airports like Heathrow won’t do much, if anything, for the communities that need growth the most. Instead, ...

action.friendsoftheearth.uk

Jeremy Bartlett @jeremybartlett.bsky.social · 3mo ago

I've just signed "Tell Andy Burnham to launch a National Commission on Electoral Reform" - Will you support the campaign too? actionstorm.org/petitions/na... @OpenBritainHQ

actionstorm.org

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Our Dog Rose has its first ever Robin’s pincushions. I’m so proud 😊! #galls #gallwasps #gardenwildlife

A branch of a rose bush with a pair of spikey globes growing on it. These are a type of gall commonly called Robin’s pincushions. The galls are caused by the larvae of a tiny gall wasp called Diplolepis rosae. Each one holds several grubs. The top one is older than the bottom one as can be seen by its pale pinkish red colour. The galls start out as a green colour and turn red as they mature. These galls a very common but they are the first for our garden.

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Swallow flyover in ##EarlhamCemetery just now which makes up for the gloom of yesterday’s local election results.

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Went looking for the cat in #EarlhamCemetery yesterday and found this instead - Toadflax Brocade. What a stunner! Photos really don’t do it justice. Anyway it’s nfm and I’m very happy about it. (The cat turned up - eventually🙄) #teammoth #norwichmoths

Guy Venables @guyvenables.bsky.social · 4mo ago

One of my cartoons for Tuesday's Metro

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · 4mo ago

A rather nice male Emperor Dragonfly in #EarlhamCemetery on Saturday…

A dragonfly rests on a stick. It has a green thorax (chest) and a turquoise blue abdomen with a black stripe down the middle. Its eyes are large and a blue green colour.

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · 4mo ago

I’ve finally seen a pink grasshopper 🥳. I found it as we were walking along the drive in #EarlhamCemetery. We couldn’t catch it to see if it was hairy underneath but I think it’s a Field Grasshopper nymph going by the shape of the shoulder stripes and tiny wings. #insects #grasshoppers #norwich

A top view of a pink coloured grasshopper sitting on a green leaf surrounded by bits of grass and dead leaves. Its eyes look like they are an off-white colour. It has a strongly kinked white stripe on the edge of each shoulder

A view of a pink coloured grasshopper showing more of its side. It is sitting on a green leaf surrounded by bits of grass and dead leaves. Its eyes look like they are an off-white colour. It has a strongly kinked white stripe on the edge of each shoulder. There is a white mark at the bottom end of each stripe. Its wings are very small so it is probably a nymph not an adult.

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Opening the door at night in this weather certainly gets the insects in. Last night we had 2 nfm wander in - an Engrailed and this little beauty - Clancy’s Rustic 😱. Worth every mozzie bite (and there were several…😬) #teammoth #norwichmoths

A light grey moth with four light brown lines and three thin black lines across its wings

A top view of a light grey moth with several black speckles all over its wings. About two thirds down each wing is a dark kidney shaped spot with a thin cream outline. Below these spots are three small dark brown spots underlined in cream. The moth has a white face and large black eyes.

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · 6mo ago

What is it with people blocking #Swift nesting holes 🤬 URGENT: Help save a Swift nesting site open.substack.com/pub/protectt... #swifts

URGENT: Help save a Swift nesting site

A long-established swift nesting site is at risk and we urgently need your help.

open.substack.com

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Somewhat surprised to see this on Sandringham Road, #Norwich today… #moths #teammoth #insects

A moth with a light greyish body and a black tail with three white spots down the side is hovering in front of some clusters of small yellow, bell-shaped flowers. Its wings are a brown blur with bright red-orange patches on the bottom edge. It is a hummingbird hawkmoth and it seems very early in the year for it to be flying.

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Look who we bumped into in #Earlhamcemetery earlier… #birds #norwich

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Please sign and share the @seabirdcentre.bsky.social letter asking for the Berwick Bank Offshore Windfarm to be cancelled. It’s going to be lethal for birds - the numbers are frightening. Find it here tinyurl.com/44k5vxfc Thank you #birds #seabirds #scottishwildlife

Take Action Now - Cancel Berwick Bank

Please take action now - tell SSE and the First Minister to Cancel Berwick Bank.

seabird.org

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · last yr.

Did some accidental mothing last night (door open, light on) when this little beauty turned up. I think it’s Evergestis limbata - dark-bordered pearl @norfolkmoths.bsky.social? Even if it isn’t, it’s nfm and nfg and I’m very chuffed #TeamMoth #NorfolkMoths

A triangular-shaped moth with black eyes. Its wings are mainly straw-coloured with a thick light brown band at the bottom of them. A darker brown line is at the top of the band and another one goes from left to right across the middle of the straw- coloured part of the wing. There is a brown splodge above the middle of the band on each wing. Above each splodge is another mark that looks a bit like two hearts joined together along the side. A brown teardrop shaped line starts near the top of the wings and ends at the ‘heart’

Thea Nicholls @thattnicholls.bsky.social · last yr.

Our first painted lady of the year in Earlham Cemetery yesterday #butterflies

A painted lady butterfly with its wings closed sitting on a white flower on a bramble bush. It has its ‘tongue’ out as it is drinking nectar from the flower. The butterfly’s wings have mainly orange, black, white and olive green markings on them. While the butterfly is in full sun the background is in shadow which gives a nice contrast. The tips of the butterfly’s antennae seem to be glowing in the sunlight.