Do you know a young person with an interest in insects? 🦋

The Douglas Boyes Fund aims to provide people aged 14-18 with access to entomology equipment, fostering their passion for insects and inspiring them to engage and share their interest with other young individuals 🔽

Good moths are starting to appear! 4 Scottish specialties from the last month - Kentish Glory, Rannoch Brindled Beauty, Small Dark Yellow Underwing and Rannoch Sprawler 😍

Today I found the Loch Ness Monster! Not the scaly reptilian though, but an invasive species of flatworm - Phagocata woodworthi - that outside of North America is only known from the loch, where is was first recorded in the late ‘70s. Might not get the tourists in like Nessie does!

The Green Shield-moss (Buxbaumia viridis) is a very rare and charismatic species inhabiting rotting wood in NW Scotland, largely in ancient Caledonian pine forest. I was lucky to see quite a bit of it in RSPB Abernethy Forest at the weekend, towards the end of its fruiting season 😊

I’ve always been interested in fossil hunting, but I’ve never had much of a chance for it until recently. However, I’ve spent more time on the Jurassic Coast recently and am having great fun learning about everything there is to find! Detailed descriptions on the pics!

On thin, sandy soils Ling Heather (Calluna vulgaris) often grows as the densely tomentose ‘var. hirsuta’ instead of the usual ‘var. vulgaris’. Although likely an oversimplification, the sea of ‘hirsuta’ contrasting with the odd ‘vulgaris’ on the stabilised dunes of Culbin Forest is amazing to see!

Salticus cingulatus, a species of Zebra Jumping Spider found mostly on old trees. It’s scarcer than the very common S. scenicus and this was my first, found under Scots Pins bark in Glenmore Forest last month.

The Earpick Fungus (Auriscalpium vulgare) is a specialist species of tooth fungus, growing solely on conifer cones. After searching high and low through September and the first half of October, I finally found it in the middle of last month! A bucket-list species for sure 😍

Sounds like this is the place to be now… and why not start with some blue skies! Temperature inversions and Brocken spectres up Ben Wyvis with @sibthorpia.bsky.social last Saturday, certainly a day to remember! 😊