Prof Bill Amos of the Department of Zoology continues his insect photo diary with images of weevils, clearwing moths and a remarkable bumblebee mimic. Follow his orange tip caterpillar as it grows too – you can see it as an egg and newly hatched caterpillar in earlier posts. You can see more of Bill’s photographs on the blog: An Insect A Day for bee fly, … Continue reading An Insect A Day part 5
The Museum may be closed, but there is amazing wildlife on your doorstep waiting to be explored. As we can’t celebrate our annual Zoology Live festival at the Museum this year, we are bringing it to you online instead with a week of films, interviews and activities. Every day at 4pm, join us on YouTube Live for wildlife films and live interviews with experts, and … Continue reading Zoology Live! 22-27 June
Aime Rankin, PhD student writes: Anyone with a pet dog, cat or rabbit will know the joy that furry animals can bring. But did you know that there are little fluffy creatures all around us? Britain’s most numerous mammals are shy, very energetic and an important part of the ecosystem. I am of course, talking about rodents! While some rodents get a bad reputation as … Continue reading Rodents: small, furry and in a hurry
Bumblebees are among the best pollinators of any flower-visiting insects. This is for several reasons. Firstly, they are quite large and can fly long distances between flowers, transporting pollen. Secondly, they are covered with long hairs that help the bee to gather pollen but also transfer it from flower to flower. The third reason is because of a special buzzing technique the bees have (sometimes … Continue reading Early morning bumblebees
Academic in the Department of Zoology, and one of our visitor engagement volunteers in the Museum, Dr Tony Fulford writes: Pirates, pirates! Other garden birds take refuge when a gang of starlings descends. Gangling, long-legged, short-tailed and sharp-billed they strut about at twice the speed of other birds, dominating the bird feeders and forever squabbling. There has to be more to such a gregarious, lively, … Continue reading Birds: Starlings
Scroll down for the latest images from the insect photo diary of Prof Bill Amos of the Department of Zoology. There are some beautiful metallic beetles this week – it just goes to show that there is beauty in the little things in life, so take a closer look next time you see a small insect on a plant. You can see more of Bill’s … Continue reading An Insect A Day part 4
Kate Howlett, NERC-funded PhD student says: Have the lockdown restrictions been changing the way we interact with and value nature? It certainly feels that way at the moment: social media is filled with photos people have snapped on their daily walk, along with captions expressing gratitude for their local green patch; a new-found joy in bird watching or a rekindled appreciation for the beauty of … Continue reading Why I’ll be taking part in the Wildlife Trusts’ 30 Days Wild this June
The Museum is currently closed, but the Museum team has been beavering away preparing something special: our annual Zoology Live festival has moved online. We will be having live online activities from Monday 22 June – Saturday 27 June, with opportunities for you to chat to our experts and find out about the wildlife on your doorstep. Keep an eye on the blog and our … Continue reading Coming Soon: Zoology Live!
Moths are a widespread and diverse group of insects, but they can often be overlooked. A large part of this is due to many species being active at night, meaning that people have fewer opportunities to interact with them. They also rely heavily on camouflage and have a reputation for being more ‘drab’ in colour than their day-flying butterfly relatives. However, there are many exceptions … Continue reading Build your own Moth Trap
Wednesday 27 May 2020 is World Otter Day. To celebrate, explore the otterly fabulous world of the Eurasian otter with us. Not an animal you will see from your window, but if you are very lucky you might see evidence of otters on a walk by your local river or lake. Measuring around a metre from nose to tail, the Eurasian otter, Lutra lutra, is … Continue reading Mammals: Otters
The close-up photographs of insects from Prof Bill Amos of the Department of Zoology have given us a wonderful view we don’t usually see of the natural world. Scroll down for the latest batch from his insect photo diary. These beasties are beautiful with fascinating stories too – from wasp mimics to mayflies to an aphid giving birth on camera. Why not have a go … Continue reading An Insect a Day part 3
Roz Wade, Learning Officer at the Museum, writes: I do love all things aquatic, so watching of the wildlife in our garden pond has been a real treat. On warm afternoons, the newts have been active and almost posing for me in the middle of the pond. And there is exciting newt news this week: baby newts! They may be small but they are beautiful, … Continue reading Pondwatch Episode 5: Newt Babies
Roz Wade, Learning Officer at the Museum, writes: ‘As our biggest and most common pigeon in the UK, here is a bird you are likely to have seen in your garden, through your window or on a walk. Even if you haven’t seen it you have probably heard it: check out its coo-cooooo-cooooo-coo-coo call on the RSPB website, open your window and have a listen. … Continue reading Birds: Pigeon Post
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May 20th is World Bee Day. But why should we care about bees? Museum Research Assistant Matt Hayes explains why we should celebrate these amazing insects. Continue reading World Bee Day
