Wow. That’s possibly as many specimens as have ever been recorded since William Falconer pootered the type specimens up in 1909.

Looks like a fab time was had and Storm Amy failed to blow too many literal cobwebs away.

I am hoping spider species-richness exceeds French cheese species-richness. But this is not guaranteed.

Thanks, and good point. Just rung my Mum to check. She did know, but has forgotten. And is now reassured.

Here inlies the problem when creating vernacular names. Given rapid changes in insect distributions, geographic reference will rapidly outdate and in this example, the obvious name is already taken.

Could be the Orange Ten-spotted, to separate from Adalia 10-guttata? Avoids reference to habitat.

2/2 Should be some good records of spiders as less than annual data for this archipelago: Stronsay had 0 records. I assume similar for other invertebrate groups?

Blessed with amazing dry and sunny weather for two weeks but v warm for islands.

How many species have been recorded in the compost bin?

And more generally, are bins less diverse than heaps?

Perhaps a good undergraduate or MSc project?

A Beccamoschino? Sounds like it’s escaped from an Italian coffee-shop!

I think the interest is potentially not just individual sites/ studies but what multiple sites/ studies have discovered. So I think your project will be of interest taking into consideration others work.

Jess, good morning! Am interested in the work you’re doing for your dissertation as I too am working on agricultural habitats investigating if they’re undervalued for invertebrates in context for Biodiversity Net Gain. Thanks!

Drove to Scrabster, ferry to Stromness with North Link ferries, *booked inter-island ferries on Orkney Council website (essential if with car in school summer holidays) and return with Pentland Ferries (St Margaret’s Hope to Gills Bay).

*Cancel fee is £0 if >1hr before crossing; no reason required

Certainly did against a stunning backdrop. I can confirm that Zygiella x-notata is probably on every building and interestingly, Textrix denticulata on window frames too on some of the islands.

@britishspiders.bsky.social

I actually thought of you when I was vac sampling the coastal grasslands. The only gnaphosid I’ve recorded so far has been a mature Drassodes which appears to be a new genus for the Orkney Islands!