#557: Beetles

How to identify beetles?

A guide is here.

ID guides for major species which may be mentioned in the specification will be important. Some teachers who are teaching the new specifications may not be 

#525: Bugs Matter 2025 results

The annual Bugs Matter survey results are out.

This draws its data from the bugs that are splattered on license plates after car journeys. The paper templates I used to use have been replaced by a digital version with before and after images.

In years past, a journey would have resulted in a lot of insects that would need to be cleaned off windscreens.

Terrifyingly, the loss of those insects is a sign of deep problems for food chains and ecosystems generally.

Headline summary:

Thanks to all the citizen scientists who took part in 2025, we can now share the shocking results discovered thanks to Bugs Matter.

The 2025 Bugs Matter findings, which are published in a report released by Kent Wildlife Trust and Buglife (Bugs Matter Summary Report 2025), show that the number of flying insects sampled on vehicle number plates across the UK has fallen by a staggering 59% in just 5 years. Analysis of records from more than 25,000 journeys shows an alarming annual average decline in bug splats of 19%, since the survey began in 2021. These findings are consistent with research which has widely reported declining trends in insect populations globally.

#465: Bugs Matter Survey - take part

Until the end of September you can take part in the annual Bugs Matter survey to measure the presence of insects. This uses a smartphone app now, rather than a paper template which used to be the case. Contribute to this citizen science initiative.

The Bugs Matter citizen science survey is an important initiative measuring insect splats on vehicle number plates as a marker of insect abundance. In previous survey years, with the valuable contributions of citizen scientists across the UK, we have made significant strides in understanding the challenges facing our insect populations.

This year, we need your help, once again, to build on our knowledge and make our impact even greater. Sharing the findings from your journeys will help us understand more about our insect populations, as growing evidence highlights their declines on a global scale.

Your participation in this nature survey is vital for us to monitor population trends, address causes of insect loss, halt and reverse them.

This is how the survey works:

 

And here's why it matters...

#462: The Observologist

Possibly not one to use as a GCSE text but certainly one which has a lot of interesting ideas for exploring wildlife and nature and paying attention to our surroundings.

By Giselle Clarkson.

An observologist is someone who makes scientific expeditions, albeit very small ones, every day. They notice interesting details in the world around them. They are expert at finding tiny creatures, plants and fungi. They know that water snails glide upside down on the undersurface of the water; not all flies have wings; earthworms have bristles; butterflies taste with their feet.

The Observologist puts over 100 small creatures and features of the natural world under the microscope, piquing our curiosity with only the most interesting facts. Subjects range from slugs, ants and seeds, fungi and flies through to bees and bird poop.

But this is no everyday catalogue of creatures. It is an antidote to boredom, an invitation out of the digital world and screentime, an encouragement to observe our environment, with care and curiosity, wherever we are.

Facts combine with comics, detailed illustrations, science and funny stories in this unique, warm and fascinating account of the small things all around us. Graphic and comic illustrations with funny talking insects make this a playful and informative book for 7- to 11-year-olds and one to be treasured in the classroom.

Giselle Clarkson has a comics and conservation background. Through her unique sensibility you’ll find that once you start thinking small, there’s no limit to what you can notice—right under your nose.

I have a copy in my classroom, ready for use with younger students.

#443: Some knowledge updates needed...

From today's i newspaper...

#371: Spider stamps

We've featured stamp issues connected with Natural History before, and there will undoubtedly be more in the years to come.. although you'll need a loan to afford them these days.

The latest feature spiders.

#348: National Insect Week

I missed posting this at the time.

The final week of June is designated as National Insect Week. Another one for the calendar of events.

Organised by the Royal Entomological Society.

Entomology is crucial to our understanding of human disease, agriculture, evolution, ecology and biodiversity.

What is an insect?

An insect is one of the most common types of invertebrate (an animal without a backbone). They have six legs, antennae and a body divided into three segments called a head, thorax and abdomen. This segmented body is covered in a hard outer casing called an exoskeleton (a skeleton but on the outside of their body).

Globally over 1 million species of insect have been described but some estimates think there might be as many as 10 million in total. Across all these species, scientists think there could be over 1.4 million billion insects alive right now! This would mean that insects outnumber humans 200 million to one!

"The most diverse group of organisms on the planet are in trouble, with recent research suggesting insect populations are declining at an unprecedented rate." 🐞 🕸

Why insects are essential for the maintenance of our environment？

👇👇https://t.co/3lnJkxXsEm

Via @Reuters

— UN Biodiversity (@UNBiodiversity) July 28, 2024

#245: Butterflies

Butterflies are an important element of our lives - flitting in and out of them at times, and with a strength that belies their apparent fragility and ephemeral nature.

Happy New Year! Butterflies and moths are often seen as a symbol of hope and new beginnings 🦋

Keep an eye out for these species in your gardens and local green spaces this month, and let us know what you see. 👀 #SaveButterflies #MothsMatter pic.twitter.com/EnlUHAOBB1

— Butterfly Conservation (@savebutterflies) January 1, 2024

Image: Butterfly on Buddleia - Alan Parkinson - shared under CC license 

#227: Banking on it

Nan Shepherd appears on the Scottish £5 note. This is one example of Natural History appearing on currency. What other examples can students find?

Here's the story of the design of the banknote. It's been in circulation since 2016. There is a lot of symbology in the image choices for the design.

Nan Shepherd is the author of 'The Living Mountain', about the Cairngorms. It's one of the most influential pieces of nature writing and has influenced othr writers such as Robert MacFarlane.

As well as an image of Shepherd, the RBS £5 note features a quote from the author’s first novel, The Quarry Wood – “It’s a grand thing to get leave to live” – and one from her meditation on the Scottish landscape, The Living Mountain: “But the struggle between frost and the force in running water is not quickly over. The battle fluctuates, and at the point of fluctuation between the motion in water and the immobility of frost, strange and beautiful forms are evolved.”

The reverse of the £5 note features an excerpt from Gaelic poet Sorley MacLean’s poem The Choice, which translates into English as “I walked with my reason, out beside the sea”

The note also features an image of a midge, to “represent the reality of everyday living in the Scottish countryside”, according to RBS. “It’s a reminder that Scottish nature nips us as well as thrills us,” said Macfarlane.

Bonus points too if you can identify the type of fish being shown on the back of the note.

#177: Ladybird love

A nice piece in The Guardian by Helen Sullivan on Ladybirds. 

She describes the link with the Virgin Mary.

Its spots – seven, if you are in Europe – symbolise Mary’s seven sorrows, its red shell the cloak she wears sometimes, when she is feeling passionate or loving, or devoted to her son, or, when she’s in a particularly generous mood, devoted to all of humanity.

When a ladybug lands on you, by thinking about what you’d like to happen, you might increase the chances it’ll come true—like wishing on a star. Maybe it’s just the power of positive thinking.

Unsurprisingly, the reverse of this belief is also commonly held. Squishing a ladybug is thought to bring bad fortune, so you might want to stay away from whacking them.

A guide to ladybirds can be purchased for £4 from this link. It is produced by Watkins and Doncaster.

Source

https://www.birdsandblooms.com/gardening/garden-bugs/ladybug-meaning/

Image: https://www.watdon.co.uk/acatalog/E5475-guide-to-ladybirds-of-the-British-Isles-identification-chart.html

There will be a separate post about Watkins and Doncaster - a firm that sells quite a lot of the equipment that departments will need if they are planning to teach the 

#171: 'Two million species at risk of extinction'

... and many of them are insects which form the basis of many food chains...

Number of species at risk of extinction doubles to 2 million, says study https://t.co/3pc4OUMuVW

— Guardian Environment (@guardianeco) November 8, 2023

97% of all animals are invertebrates. Of that group, about 90% are classified as insects. They provide vital ecosystem services: pollinating crops, recycling nutrients into soils, and decomposing waste.

 “Without insects, our planet will not be able to survive.”

This is further worrying news in a week of worrying reports. And all the while, the government just rearranges the deckchairs on the Titanic...

Image: Leaf Hopper, Alan Parkinson - shared under CC license

#49: You're invited to a different kind of 'Stag Do'

One of the resources that I am putting together is something on oppoertunities to get involved in Citizen Science. There are quite a few of these spread through the year, and teachers could perhaps create a 'loyalty card' which allows students to earn points through engagement with them.

Wildlife charity, the People’s Trust for Endangered Species’ (PTES) is looking for volunteers across Britain for its annual ‘Great Stag Hunt’ survey, to discover where endangered stag beetles are living and where they most need help.

Stag beetles were once widespread but due to habitat loss they’re now declining and have even become extinct in some parts of Britain and Western Europe. To prevent that from further happening PTES is calling for nature lovers, families, and individuals to help this summer by recording all sightings of male and female stag beetles, and their larvae (large, white grubs), online at:

  www.ptes.org/gsh

Stag beetles are easy to spot – they’re the UK’s largest land beetles and the males are instantly recognisable with their antler like jaws. From late May into July these iconic insects emerge from the ground in search of mates, and are usually spotted flying around gardens, parks and allotments on warm summer evenings. They can also be seen on walls and warm tarmac surfaces in urban areas, and in other green spaces too such as woodland edges, hedgerows and traditional orchards.

Laura Bower, Conservation Officer at PTES says: “Last year almost 10,000 sightings were recorded by thousands of volunteers, giving us a real insight into where their range is, which is crucial for the species’ long-term survival. More help is always needed though, so whether you’re out in the garden, dog walking in a local park, on the school run or even walking to the pub, keep your eyes peeled for these beautiful beetles and tell us about any you see. You don’t need to be a beetle expert or have taken part before, as PTES has a free ‘beetle ID’ guide to help anyone new to the survey to help them tell the differences between stag beetles and other insects.”

To take part in the Great Stag Hunt 2023, for top tips on creating the perfect log pile, or to find out more about stag beetles, please visit: stagbeetles.ptes.org

#40: Rachel Carson's prophetic 'Silent Spring'

Rachel Carson was the author of the classic book 'Silent Spring'.

This BBC World podcast explores the origins of the book, which is one of the more significant environmental books ever published.

She also wrote several other books which would be of relevance, including on the theme of the world's oceans: 'The Sea Around Us' and 'The Edge of the Sea' - I have copies of these in my library.

One would hope that Rachel Carson will be another person whose name is added to the list of people which those studying the new GCSE Natural History specification should be made aware of.

Details on the podcast:

Rachel Carson’s 1962 book Silent Spring has probably done more than any other to raise concerns about the damage that uncontrolled use of chemicals can cause to the natural world. Carson imagined a ‘silent spring’ in a world where birds no longer sang, killed off by indiscriminate spraying of pesticides.
Her plea for caution when using insecticides led to major changes in government regulation of agrochemicals both in the United States and elsewhere. So who was Rachel Carson? How did this scientist with a passionate interest in marine biology turn first into a best-selling author and then into an environmental campaigner? And - six decades on - have the warnings of Silent Spring been heeded? Bridget Kendall is joined by Dr. Sabine Clarke, Senior Lecturer in Modern History at University of York with a particular interest in the history of synthetic insecticides; Michelle Ferrari, an award-winning film maker who directed a documentary about Rachel Carson's life for the American public broadcaster PBS; and Professor David Kinkela, an environmental historian and chair of the Department of History at Fredonia, State University of New York whose books include 'DDT and the American Century'. The reader is Ina Marie Smith.

The book is available in a large number of editions.

Her story about a lack of insects has been in the news for some years.

In 2016 for example, The Guardian reported on it.

Several people have mentioned the obvious dearth of insects this spring...

Check out her Wikipedia article for plenty more information on her life of campaigning against pesticide use.

#36: Maria Sybilla Merian

Today, we know that insects have different stages of life. 

For instance, caterpillars turn into butterflies. 

In Maria Merian's time, people thought these two creatures were actually different insect species. 

Here's a video on her life and achievements made by the Royal Society. 

One would hope that there is appropriate representation of women and people from minority groups amongst the names of people that are included and named in the specification - we don't want it to be just old white men such as Darwin, von Humboldt and Linnaeus.

Maria was the first person to work out that these were actually the same insect in different stages of its life.

She was the subject of a Google Doodle which was shown in April 2013 on the occasion of her 366th birthday.

This is a rather lovely design. See the separate post on other Google Doodles on the blog, with a suggested activity linked to the proposed curriculum which is a creative task.

The Google Doodle archive can be viewed here. There is some wonderful work here.

Here's a Linnean Society video as well: