Buglife

Buglife backed by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to give a brighter future for Dartmoor’s threatened invertebrates. 👇 buglife.org.uk/news/buglife-backed-by-the-national-lottery-heritage-fund-to-give-a-brighter-future-for-dartmoors-threatened-invertebrates (🔗link in bio) Moor Invertebrates will help to give a brighter future to the following eight threatened invertebrate species found across Dartmoor National Park: 💙 Blue Ground Beetle (Carabus intricatus) 🪰 Bog Hoverfly (Eristalis cryptarum) 💜 Violet Dor Beetle (Geotrupes mutator) 💧 Gravel Water Beetle (Hydrochus nitidicolis) 🐜 Narrow-headed Ant (Formica exsecta) 🕷️ Lichen Running Spider (Philodromus margaritatus) 🦋 Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas Aurinia) 🤎 High Brown Fritillary (Fabriciana adippe) Engaging local communities and visitors, inspiring a love of Dartmoor’s special bugs and helping to connect people with the wonderful invertebrates living right on their doorsteps. ℹ️ Find out more and read the full story 👇 buglife.org.uk/news/buglife-backed-by-the-national-lottery-heritage-fund-to-give-a-brighter-future-for-dartmoors-threatened-invertebrates . . 📷 Blue Ground Beetle (Carabus intricatus ) © Laura Larkin, Bog Hoverfly (Eristalis cryptarum) Female © Steven Falk, Narrow-headed Ant (Formica exsecta) © Gus Jones, Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas Aurinia) ©Darren Bradley . . #MoorInvertebrates #SpeciesRecovery @heritagefunduk @biggiveorg @westonfdn #LoveBUgs #InvertebratesOfInstagram #InsectsOfInstagram #WildlifeWednesday

We're delighted to share a sneaky-peak of an upcoming short film created by @dundeenatureguild focussing on the fantastic work of our Buglife Scotland Carse of Gowrie Conservation Officer, Neil, and his enthusiastic band of volunteers and local supporters. 🌳Carse of Gowrie Orchards: People for Pollinators is a three year funded project highlighting the importance of traditional orchards as a vital habitat for pollinators and other invertebrate species. Working with landowners, communities and local interest groups, including @dundeenatureguild ; supporting them to create and manage orchards with our wildlife in mind. 💪 Volunteers are integral to the success of this project and its legacy, helping with the tasks throughout the project such as: 🔍 species Recording; 📝 ecological surveys; 🍐 fruit tree and wildflower planting; 🐝 bee bank creation; 🌳orchard management (including pruning etc.) 👏 A huge well done to everyone involved to date! ℹ️ If you're interested in learning more, keep your eyes peeled for the release of the full short film on Sunday via @dundeenatureguild and in the meantime, head on over to our dedicated Carse of Gowrie Orchards: People for Pollinators project web page 👇 buglife.org.uk/projects/carse-of-gowrie-people-for-pollinators/ (🔗 link in bio) . . 🎥 Aleks Loginovs / @dundeenatureguild . . #CarseOfGowrie #BuglifeScotland #Orchards #BLines #Invertebrates #InvertebrateOfInstagram #HeritageFund @heritagefunduk @naturescot @milkywire @animalfriendsinsurance #Trailer #Dundee #DundeeNatureGuild

🐝 Something big is buzzing… 🐝 Solitary Bee Week is nearly here! To commemorate World Bee Day, we’ll be putting these incredible little pollinators under the spotlight. 🗣️ From 20 May to 27 May, we'll explore the intricate lives of solitary bees, by sharing their stories, fascinating facts, and actionable steps to protect these vital invertebrates from environmental challenges. 🌼 Right now, solitary bees are most active in our gardens and green spaces so it's the perfect time for you to #EarnYourStripes, by taking action and making a difference! Whether you're eager to start a garden project, inspire future generations with educational activities, or find practical tips for coexisting with bees on your land, every action counts in the fight to reverse their decline. Get involved, spread the buzz, and prepare to learn more by visiting our website 👇 buglife.org.uk/bugs/solitary-bee-week/ (🔗link in bio) 💛 Let’s come together to celebrate these amazing pollinators! . . #SolitaryBeeWeek #WorldBeeDay #Pollinators #Buglife #Conservation #GetInvolved #BugsMatter #SolitaryBee #NatureRecovery #SaveTheBees #BeeAwareness #BeeConservation #Invertebrate #Invertebrates #LoveBees #BeesOfInstagram

Buglife's Don't Neglect the Night campaign nominated for Scottish Charity Awards! 🥳 We're delighted to share that Buglife's Don't Neglect the Night campaign, calling on governments to stop neglecting the night and embed the nocturnal environment in conservation plans, has been short-listed for the @scvoscot Campaign of the Year Award. 👇 scvo.scot/scottish-charity-awards/finalists/2026/campaign-of-the-year/buglife-the-invertebrate-conservation-trust-don-t-neglect-the-night 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland's MSP's have really stepped up to the plate in pledging their support for the campaign; it won rapid cross-party political support after launch, prompting parliamentary questions on light pollution and the first Scottish Parliament motion recognising the nocturnal environment, demonstrating clear political traction. 👏 Thank you to everyone who has pledged support already, and/or petitioned their elected representatives to take the impacts of light pollution on our natural world seriously. ℹ️ Want to know more? Head on over to our dedicated web pages, discover more and join the campaign! 👇 buglife.org.uk/campaigns/light-pollution/dont-neglect-the-night/ (🔗link in bio) Winners will be announced on 11 June 2026 in a celebratory awards ceremony hosted by broadcaster Sally Magnusson at the Raddison Blu in Glasgow. . . 📷 Common Glow-worm ©️ Павел Кунгуров . . #DontNeglectTheNight #BuglifeCampaign #BuglifeScotland #NurtureTheNightShift #LightPollution #WildlifeNeedsTheDark #InsectsOfInstagram #ScottishCharityAwards

As we begin another week, make sure you're taking part in Bugs Matter as you make your regular journeys, whether to work or on the school run! 🪰 You can be a citizen scientist from now until Wednesday 30 September across the UK, the Republic of Ireland and now France, for the first time, whilst driving your vehicle! 📲 If you have a Smartphone and are travelling for work or pleasure, why not take part? You can do so following these easy steps: 1️⃣ Download the app which is available free in both IOS and Android; 2️⃣ Create an account to sign up; 3️⃣ Start surveying on any journey you make in a vehicle between 1 April to 30 September. 👍The more journeys you conduct the survey on, the better – and counts of zero bugs are just as important to submit. Find out more and sign up 👇 buglife.org.uk/get-involved/surveys/bugs-matter/ (🔗 link in bio) 🚗 Make every journey count this weekend 🚗 . . Bugs Matter is the citizen science survey from @kentwildlife and Buglife, with support from @rspb . . . 📷 Peacock Butterfly (Aglais io) © Leo Reynolds (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0, Flickr) . . #CitizenScience #BugsMatter #Collaboration #InsectDeclines #InsectsOfInstagram @amazonwebservices @le_museum

Ever wondered what's living in our river beds? Riverflies are an under recorded species in Northern Ireland and key to understanding freshwater ecology! This week attendees at our riverflies course learned to identify Mayflies, Stoneflies and Caddisflies to genus level. Thanks must go to Craig Macadam, riverfly verifier from @buglife_ict and Helen James, National Museums NI for their delivery of this course. Thanks also to @belfasthills for facilitating!

The Ardeer Peninsula in Ayrshire is once again making headlines. 👇 bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgzl329lqlo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss (🔗 link in bio) 🪲The unique mosaic of dune habitats, grassland, woodlands, scrub and wetlands, is shaped by its industrial past, but it's under threat from a multitude of development proposals. 🐝 Despite never being subject to any formal survey, over 1,000 invertebrate species have been recorded across the Garnock Estuary. It has even been touted as Scotland’s best site for bees – including the Northern Colletes Bee (Colletes floralis) and Northern Mining Bee (Andrena ruficrus), both included on the Scottish Biodiversity List. 🦋The rich diversity of life found on the peninsula is under-threat from a Special Development Order dating back to 1953; meaning that planning permission is not required for development and activities which would require consent almost anywhere else in Scotland. ℹ️ Find out more and read the full story 👇 bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgzl329lqlo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss . . 📷 Northern Colletes (Colletes floralis) © Michael Bell . . #BuglifeCampaign #Ardeer #SaveArdeer #BuglifeScotland

As the merry month of May get's a hold, let's meet the aptly named May Bug. 🌏 The Common Cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha) often referred to as the May Bug, but you may also know them as the Spang Beetle, Dumbledory or the Billy Witch, amongst many other names. 🥴 These beetles are loud and clumsy and can frequently be seen and heard flying into lit windows and even lamps indoors! 🌦 Fun Fact: They've had a troubled past. During 1320 cockchafers (as a species) were taken to court in Avignon, France, where they were ordered to leave town and relocate to a specially designated area, or be outlawed. All cockchafers who failed to comply were collected and killed! ℹ️ Find out more ➡ buglife.org.uk/bugs/bug-directory/common-cockchafer (🔗 link in bio) What other names do you know the Common Cockchafer by? . . 📷 Common Cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha) © Zoe Foster . . #Cockchafer #BugsMatter #Beetles #Beetle #May #Maybug

🌌 #StarWarsDay – Choose the Light Side... but Don't Neglect the Night! ⚔️✨ Just like in the galaxy far, far away, there's a battle raging right here on Earth, between light and dark. But this isn’t sci-fi, its light pollution, and it’s throwing nature out of balance. The natural cycle of night and day is being disrupted, confusing wildlife, harming ecosystems, and dimming the stars above us. 🚫 Conservation plans ignore the night. 🦉 No darkness = no rest for nocturnal species. 💡 Too much artificial light = bad news for nature. This #MayThe4th, join the rebellion. Sign our petition and tell policymakers: 🌑🌟Don’t Neglect the Night! 👉 buglife.org.uk/campaigns/light-pollution/dont-neglect-the-night/ (🔗link in bio) . . #BuglifeCampaign #DontNeglectTheNight #LightPollution #DarkSkies #StarWarsDay2026 #WildlifeNeedsTheDark

🌟 Invertebrates: The Backbone of Species Recovery @biggiveorg Earth Raise Week, championed by @westonfdn 🌟 Our 2026 Big Give, Invertebrates: The Backbone of Species Recovery, campaign has now ended and we are delighted to share that we have secured a fantastic £20,350 to support our work around species recovery! 🐞 Once again, we would like to say a huge thank you to all our followers and supporters. As always we are humbled and incredibly grateful for your support; whether in the form of a donation or helping to spread the word by sharing information and social media posts. It all helped and was crucial to us reaching our target with 24 hours to spare! Thank you: together we can save the small things that run the planet! . . 📷 Red Mason Bee (Osmia bicornis) © Ed Phillips . . #DoubleTheDifference #EarthRaise #SpeciesRecovery #WildlifeWednesday

🌟 Invertebrates: The Backbone of Species Recovery @biggiveorg Earth Raise Week, championed by @westonfdn 🌟 👇 donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05WS000009xoejYAA?utm_campaign=a05WS000009xoejYAA-Instagram (🔗link in bio) Let's meet another of the species who feature in our species recovery work! 🦗 The Scaly Cricket or Atlantic Beach-cricket (Pseudomogoplistes vicentae) is a rare invertebrate species known from three locations in South West England. 📏 Measuring approximately 8-13mm in length, this small cricket species is native to the UK, and varies in colour from grey to chestnut brown. Both their body and legs are covered in minute scales which can sometimes be seen on top of the abdomen. 📝 The first recorded discovery of the species was a single adult female on Chesil Beach in 1949. A male Scaly Cricket wasn’t recorded until 1977 in the same location. Up until that point many theorised that the Scaly Cricket bred parthenogenically (eggs are produced without fertilization by a male). 👍 Fun fact: It's been discovered, during survey work, that they are attracted to a certain brand and flavour of cat biscuits! Want to help support our species recovery work, and the Scaly Cricket, and for your donation to have double the impact? 👇 donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05WS000009xoejYAA?utm_campaign=a05WS000009xoejYAA-Instagram . . 📷 Scaly Cricket (Psuedomogoplistes vicentae) © Alex Hyde . . #SpeciesRecovery #DoubleTheDifference #EarthRaise

A recent report from @wildjusticeorg made headlines when it revealed that the Government’s environmental advisor Natural England has stopped designating Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)... ❗...there hasn’t been a single new SSSI designated in England since 2023. 👇 buglife.org.uk/blog/when-does-protection-mean-protection/ (🔗link in bio) 🤔 While SSSIs are often called ‘the backbone of our protected sites network’, do they actually serve the needs of the creatures without backbones – the invertebrates – that Buglife is dedicated to protecting? 📝 Join Buglife Programmes Manager, Jamie Robins, as he explores this question in our latest blog, "When does protection mean protection?" 👇 buglife.org.uk/blog/when-does-protection-mean-protection/ . . 📷 Distinguished Jumping Spider (Attulus distinguendus) © Roman Willi . . #SavingSites #BuglifeCampaign