Sand Dune Delights
Introduction Norfolk is blessed with some wonderful sand dunes around its coast, from the vast expanse on the north coast, … Continue reading →
Aphid Photo Gallery
I have put together this photo gallery of the aphid species I’ve found as a companion piece to my previous … Continue reading →
Mallota cimbiciformis
Mallota cimbiciformis: An Encounter with the Rot-hole Hoverfly Having had some success with a pheromone lure for Emperor Moth, we … Continue reading →
H is for Harvestmen
Introduction For me, looking at harvestmen was a natural progression from my interest in spiders. They are in fact a … Continue reading →
C is for Colourful Conopids
Members of the Conopidae are some of my favourite flies, so much so that two out of the fifteen species … Continue reading →
Day of the Jackal: Encounters with Free-loading Flies
I first came across Jackal or Free-loader Flies when I was photographing a Misumena vatia crab spider that had caught … Continue reading →
A is for Aphids
Introduction There are over 600 species of aphid in the UK. While some of them are listed as agricultural pests … Continue reading →
Killer Queens: Misumena vatia
Misumena vatia is one of my favourite garden predators, lying patiently in wait on her chosen flower for any unsuspecting insect … Continue reading →
Some April Arthropods
The Entomologist’s Year: What To Look For In Spring (Part 2). April Flies For me, one of the star attractions … Continue reading →
Marvellous March
The Entomologist’s Year: What To Look For In Spring (Part 1). The classic Ladybird Book ‘What To Look For In … Continue reading →
Fickle February
The Entomologist’s Year: What to look for in Winter (Part 2). February is a fickle month, one moment it is … Continue reading →
The Joys of January
The Entomologist’s Year: What to look for in Winter (Part 1). I loved the seasonal Ladybird books when I was … Continue reading →
2020 Top Twenty Invertebrate Highlights – Part Two
Part Two: Out and About When lockdown restrictions were more fully relaxed, people began getting back out into the countryside … Continue reading →
2020 Top Twenty Invertebrate Highlights – Part One
Part One: Home Ground (more or less) I look forward to every year in anticipation of reacquainting myself with various … Continue reading →
Robberflies
Introduction Robberflies are members of the Asilidae and this is one of my favourite groups of flies. They are generally … Continue reading →
Insects on Ivy
September and October are prime Ivy flower time, with the heady blossom an absolute magnet for all sorts of insects … Continue reading →
Inconspicuous Ladybirds
This blog post was originally published on 28 June 2020, with Scymnus interruptus incorrectly identified as Scymnus suturalis. Thanks to Andrew … Continue reading →
Heavenly Hogweed
Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) is undoubtedly one of the best umbellifers in Britain for attracting insects. It is an absolute magnet … Continue reading →
Garden Lockdown Birdrace and Bioblitz
On Saturday 16th May 2020 I was invited by Barry Madden and Darren Archer to take part in the Lockdown Garden … Continue reading →
Saved from the fire – Tanbark Borer
A couple of months ago we heard a ticking noise in our living room and on further investigation we discovered … Continue reading →
O is for Orthoptera: Grasshoppers and Crickets
Introduction Grasshoppers and crickets belong to the order Orthoptera, a group of insects that are characterised by having greatly enlarged … Continue reading →
Making A Start With Spiders
Identifying spiders is something I have always struggled with and invariably given up on, mainly due to the fact that … Continue reading →
Some New Garden Sightings – Easter 2020
At this time of year we would normally be making a few trips by train and bus to various parts … Continue reading →
What To Look For In Spring: Sallow
The last forays I made to my local patch (before lockdown) were to check out the sallow flowers. Sallow is … Continue reading →
Arthropedia is published
Arthropedia: An Illustrated Alphabet of Invertebrates has now been published and Mike from Swallowtail Print dropped off our copies this morning. … Continue reading →
Not Long Now…
Arthropedia: An Illustrated Alphabet of Invertebrates is now at the printer, Swallowtail Print, in Drayton in Norwich. It should be … Continue reading →
A Book Cover
Vanna is hard at work, checking text and numbering up the index. Alan and Marion at Mascot Media are doing … Continue reading →
Wonder Weeds – Red Deadnettles
This is Part 2 of “Wonder Weeds – Dandelions and Deadnettles.”(Part 1: Dandelions.) Red Deadnettles (Lamium purpureum) are not quite … Continue reading →
Wonder Weeds – Dandelions
This is Part 1 of “Wonder Weeds – Dandelions and Deadnettles.” (Part 2: Red Deadnettles.) The Beginnings of Spring As … Continue reading →
Garden Highlights 2019
The Garden of Earthly Delights No review of the year would be complete without mention of our wildlife friendly garden … Continue reading →
Arthropedia 2019 Review of the Year (Part 2)
Continued from Part 1. Hop-garden Earwig This is one of our star species. There aren’t many records in Norfolk but … Continue reading →
Arthropedia 2019 Review of the Year (Part 1)
I’m taking a leaf out of my friend James Emerson’s book, or rather blog, to give you a round-up of … Continue reading →
Love Your Lawn
As I write this, a rather wet December is coming to an end and our lawn is a sorry-looking mess … Continue reading →
Something to look for in winter – Cigar Galls on reeds
Norfolk is a paradoxical place. Rainfall here is low, especially in the Brecks. But we also have a lot of … Continue reading →
Bathroom Beasties
In my experience bathrooms in older houses always seem to be cold, damp places. In my own bathroom this is … Continue reading →
Dark Days
Making the most of winter December is a dark time in Norfolk for an entomologist with most insect life tucked … Continue reading →
Welcome to the Arthropedia Blog
Welcome! Arthropedia is a celebration of invertebrates in the phylum Arthropoda, covering insects, spiders, woodlice and centipedes and millipedes. About this … Continue reading →