First time weโve observed the beautiful Cream Spot Ladybird (Calvia quattuordecimguttata) on #TunstallHills & what an absolute gem ๐ #Ladybirds
Heading up to #TunstallHills yesterday and we just spent a lil bit of time time looking closer at the extraordinary variety of #Spider species in a wild area that hasnโt been cut #Spider sareAwesome ๐๐ท๏ธ TurnFear2Fascination ๐ฌ๐ง ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ๐ท๏ธ
The exceptionally stunning Hairy Shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum) in Spring colours & enjoying the sunshine on #TunstallHills 18.5.24 ๐ #Shieldbugs
Lovely to find this tiny mm sized โ #Dictyna spider on her bramble leaf web #TunstallHills today ๐ Have to love the rows of white hairs on her head & this method of prey capture must be successful given the #Diptera graveyard surround #SpidersareAwesome ๐๐ท๏ธ
Happy #tongueouttuesday donโt let the blue sky fool you. Itโs cold! Hope youโre all having a good day ๐weโre at another favourite place #tunstallhills ๐ฅฐ #dogs oftwitter #dogs
Nature always provides mystery ๐ Life developing inside this tiny cocoon cemented to a rock neath scree #TunstallHills 22.3.24
Tunstall Hills Protection Group held another litter pick this morning. We tried a team photo but most people were out n about busy collecting 11 bags of rubbish! Thank you to amazing people that give up their time to keep #TunstallHills special for everyone #CommunityHeroes ๐
Bumblebees starting to emerge & enjoy the sunshine on #TunstallHills 23.3.24 Bombus lapidarius queen & Bombus pratorum queen ๐
After persistent rain, the grassland areas around quarries #TunstallHills are filled with a mysterious green jelly ๐ The jelly-like blobs of green are colonies of Nostoc, a phylum of bacteria that get their energy through photosynthesis. Anyone else seen this?
First butterfly observation on #TunstallHills 22.3.24 and had to be Small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) ๐ We think this individual has just emerged from hibernation so allowed a few photos. A gorgeous species & have always loved the skirt of dazzling blue triangles ๐๐ค
Have always been fascinated in the tiny detail of nature and how new worlds of delight emerge when you learn to look closer ๐ A family of mm sized #Pseudoscorpions observed neath stone #TunstallHills 22.3.24 ๐ #Mesofauna
Always a delight to find pockets of beautiful Blue Moor-Grass (Sesleria caerulea) flowering on #TunstallHills ๐ This under-appreciated gem is restricted to limestone grassland & once found, youโll look for it every year ๐ค
Discovered this overwintered Hairy Shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum) neath rocks in large quarry area #TunstallHills Have to love chequered black and white edges to the abdomen & black & white antennae ๐ #Shieldbugs
Dr Katie Strang Wonderful post but hard to imagine millions of years ๐คFortunate to live nr #TunstallHills Sunderland and often find fossils of bryozoans and bivalves. Mind blowing to think that you may be the first person that has uncovered a new fossil memory ๐
tunstallhills.wixsite.com/tunstallhills/โฆ
Terry&JudyWood The Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs & Northants NBRC Ryan Clark Our absolute fave bee and not at all envious that you have a colony in your garden ๐คฅ Love visiting our local nature reserve #TunstallHills and seeing these ๐๐