Will Langdon
@wlangdon12.bsky.social
Assistant Conservation Officer for Epping Forest. PhD on the effects of nitrogen pollution on insects, particularly likes butterflies and moths.
Reposted by Will Langdon
A magical evening watching the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Thunnus thynnus hunting Garfish Belone belone in almost flat calm conditions, Start Point, Devon
October 2, 2025 at 8:58 AM
A magical evening watching the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Thunnus thynnus hunting Garfish Belone belone in almost flat calm conditions, Start Point, Devon
Reposted by Will Langdon
Britain has gained a new butterfly!
The long-anticipated arrival of Southern Small White (Pieris mannii) has been confirmed.
The long-anticipated arrival of Southern Small White (Pieris mannii) has been confirmed.
From Landguard, Obsidentify says Southern Small White although this species is not on the British List yet so is the AI correct ! It has spread into the Low Countries from Southern Europe in recent years so is expected to arrive sometime.
August 3, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Britain has gained a new butterfly!
The long-anticipated arrival of Southern Small White (Pieris mannii) has been confirmed.
The long-anticipated arrival of Southern Small White (Pieris mannii) has been confirmed.
An exciting Epping Forest micro from last week - a couple of Dichrorampha sylvicolana flushed from their Sneezewort foodplant in one of our damp grasslands. Last found in the forest, Essex and (seemingly) SE England by Maitland Emmet in the 70s, it's great to know it's still here.
August 2, 2025 at 9:05 AM
An exciting Epping Forest micro from last week - a couple of Dichrorampha sylvicolana flushed from their Sneezewort foodplant in one of our damp grasslands. Last found in the forest, Essex and (seemingly) SE England by Maitland Emmet in the 70s, it's great to know it's still here.
Dystebenna stephensi was right at the top of my Epping Forest moth bucket list when I started working here, and so very pleased to have found lots of them on oak trunks in the last couple of weeks - rare, beautiful, and associated with fabulous old oaks. What's not to like! #TeamMoth
July 5, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Dystebenna stephensi was right at the top of my Epping Forest moth bucket list when I started working here, and so very pleased to have found lots of them on oak trunks in the last couple of weeks - rare, beautiful, and associated with fabulous old oaks. What's not to like! #TeamMoth
Thrilled to get acquainted with my first Epping Forest Purple Emperor the other week, found next to its empty pupal case in a UV-torch powered search after dark, which revealed three other (unhatched) pupae high in the Sallows, magical! #Butterflies @ukbutterflies.bsky.social
July 2, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Thrilled to get acquainted with my first Epping Forest Purple Emperor the other week, found next to its empty pupal case in a UV-torch powered search after dark, which revealed three other (unhatched) pupae high in the Sallows, magical! #Butterflies @ukbutterflies.bsky.social
Reposted by Will Langdon
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 🔽
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 🔽
Douglas Boyes Fund - Royal Entomological Society
The Douglas Boyes Fund has been established in honour of Douglas Boyes (1996-2021), an esteemed entomologist specialising in Lepidoptera. The Fund aims to provide young people aged 14-18 with access…
buff.ly
June 24, 2025 at 9:02 AM
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 🔽
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 🔽
Reposted by Will Langdon
Arable land has been flattened by history of ploughing. In restoring such sites it is important to introduce variation. Here I look at butterfly banks and enthuse over the experimental testing. youtu.be/5kgAXVFo610?...
Habitat flattening: the often ignored component of conservation management and restoration
YouTube video by Bill Sutherland's Conservation Concepts
youtu.be
June 9, 2025 at 6:07 AM
Arable land has been flattened by history of ploughing. In restoring such sites it is important to introduce variation. Here I look at butterfly banks and enthuse over the experimental testing. youtu.be/5kgAXVFo610?...
Some work news - into my third month as the new(ish!) Assistant Conservation Officer in Epping Forest. Really excited to be working in such a fantastic, ancient mosaic of habitats, and enjoyed the first couple of months - mostly out in the field in beautiful spring weather, what's not to like...
June 7, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Some work news - into my third month as the new(ish!) Assistant Conservation Officer in Epping Forest. Really excited to be working in such a fantastic, ancient mosaic of habitats, and enjoyed the first couple of months - mostly out in the field in beautiful spring weather, what's not to like...
So great to see Nick Bowles from Upper Thames BC recognised here - such a passionate, modest and determined guy who has done so much for butterflies and moths in the Upper Thames.
The results are in! We’re thrilled to announce the winners of the #VolunteerAwards2025 🏆🎉
These incredible individuals have gone above and beyond to make a difference for butterflies and moths.
Meet this year's winners 👉 butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blo...
#VolunteersWeek
These incredible individuals have gone above and beyond to make a difference for butterflies and moths.
Meet this year's winners 👉 butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blo...
#VolunteersWeek
June 5, 2025 at 7:16 PM
So great to see Nick Bowles from Upper Thames BC recognised here - such a passionate, modest and determined guy who has done so much for butterflies and moths in the Upper Thames.
Reposted by Will Langdon
Really pleased with this one as I've been keeping an eye out for it for years: Coleophora siccifolia larval cases on birch. First case, cut-out for second case and two second cases (see ALT text for details). #TeamMoth #MothsMatter @doublekidney.bsky.social @bcyorkshire.bsky.social
June 4, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Really pleased with this one as I've been keeping an eye out for it for years: Coleophora siccifolia larval cases on birch. First case, cut-out for second case and two second cases (see ALT text for details). #TeamMoth #MothsMatter @doublekidney.bsky.social @bcyorkshire.bsky.social
Reposted by Will Langdon
Usually we see Tau emperors (Aglia tau, tau-vlinder), a large day-active moth, racing by, the males always seem in a hurry to find females. But this time we found a male sitting. What a spectacular moth!
April 20, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Usually we see Tau emperors (Aglia tau, tau-vlinder), a large day-active moth, racing by, the males always seem in a hurry to find females. But this time we found a male sitting. What a spectacular moth!
Reposted by Will Langdon
One of the lesser appreciated things about Cambridge (UK) is what a green and generally nature friendly city it is.
I don't mean the largely biodiversity poor manicured green of the university Colleges (though some like King's are making some effort). I mean the network of Commons and LNRs 🧵
I don't mean the largely biodiversity poor manicured green of the university Colleges (though some like King's are making some effort). I mean the network of Commons and LNRs 🧵
April 20, 2025 at 11:01 AM
One of the lesser appreciated things about Cambridge (UK) is what a green and generally nature friendly city it is.
I don't mean the largely biodiversity poor manicured green of the university Colleges (though some like King's are making some effort). I mean the network of Commons and LNRs 🧵
I don't mean the largely biodiversity poor manicured green of the university Colleges (though some like King's are making some effort). I mean the network of Commons and LNRs 🧵
Previously only recorded once in the UK in 2018, records of Pammene juniperana have been increasing since 2022. Pleased to finally share this paper with @jamesehammond.bsky.social confirming that this lovely moth is breeding here, probably both on both wild and garden Junipers: shorturl.at/E2LrU
April 18, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Previously only recorded once in the UK in 2018, records of Pammene juniperana have been increasing since 2022. Pleased to finally share this paper with @jamesehammond.bsky.social confirming that this lovely moth is breeding here, probably both on both wild and garden Junipers: shorturl.at/E2LrU
Reposted by Will Langdon
10 years ago, I started my first paid job in Ecology and have very much enjoyed my time working for various charities to understand and conserve our often overlooked invertebrates and plants. (1/3)
April 14, 2025 at 3:28 PM
10 years ago, I started my first paid job in Ecology and have very much enjoyed my time working for various charities to understand and conserve our often overlooked invertebrates and plants. (1/3)
Reposted by Will Langdon
Pearl-bordered Fritillary caterpillar sunbathing in front of breakfast first thing this morning at a site in Sussex. This rare butterfly has a flourishing colony here, thanks to great wildlife-friendly woodland management 👏😁 #boloriaeuphrosyne #sussexbutterflies #ukbutterflies #bugsky
March 31, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Pearl-bordered Fritillary caterpillar sunbathing in front of breakfast first thing this morning at a site in Sussex. This rare butterfly has a flourishing colony here, thanks to great wildlife-friendly woodland management 👏😁 #boloriaeuphrosyne #sussexbutterflies #ukbutterflies #bugsky
Reposted by Will Langdon
Nice to see plenty of leaf mines of Elachista gleichenella on Glaucous Sedge & Wood Sedge while out in the woods in Gloucestershire with @wlangdon12.bsky.social yesterday.
#TeamMoth
#TeamMoth
March 21, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Nice to see plenty of leaf mines of Elachista gleichenella on Glaucous Sedge & Wood Sedge while out in the woods in Gloucestershire with @wlangdon12.bsky.social yesterday.
#TeamMoth
#TeamMoth
Reposted by Will Langdon
Searching for leaf miners on Dartmoor today with Barry Henwood. We found two species on Greater Tussock-sedge: nice straight mine of Elachista utonella Bog Sedge-miner, a lifer for me, and the messy mine of E. gleichenella Twin-barred Sedge-miner #teammoth
March 16, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Searching for leaf miners on Dartmoor today with Barry Henwood. We found two species on Greater Tussock-sedge: nice straight mine of Elachista utonella Bog Sedge-miner, a lifer for me, and the messy mine of E. gleichenella Twin-barred Sedge-miner #teammoth
Reposted by Will Langdon
What a start to the year for those finding Large Tortoiseshells in Kent! Its eggs are brown, since they're laid on bark, rather than the green of Nettle-feeders. I was also lucky enough to be in the company of @wlangdon12.bsky.social and Matthew Oates when Will found larvae on Portland (below)!
March 9, 2025 at 7:30 PM
What a start to the year for those finding Large Tortoiseshells in Kent! Its eggs are brown, since they're laid on bark, rather than the green of Nettle-feeders. I was also lucky enough to be in the company of @wlangdon12.bsky.social and Matthew Oates when Will found larvae on Portland (below)!
Reposted by Will Langdon
Big day for butterfly research. Many authors (led by @edwards-evoeco.bsky.social) and many more volunteers monitored across states to document rapid butterfly declines in USA. 🧪
Paper link: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
NYT story gift link: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Paper link: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
NYT story gift link: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century
Numerous declines have been documented across insect groups, and the potential consequences of insect losses are dire. Butterflies are the most surveyed insect taxa, yet analyses have been limited in ...
www.science.org
March 6, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Big day for butterfly research. Many authors (led by @edwards-evoeco.bsky.social) and many more volunteers monitored across states to document rapid butterfly declines in USA. 🧪
Paper link: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
NYT story gift link: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Paper link: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
NYT story gift link: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Will Langdon
Volunteers wanted for Scotland-wide search for one of the country's smallest and rarest moths 🔍
The Highland Nymph (Callisto coffeella) hadn't been seen in Scotland for 20 years until it was rediscovered in 2024.
Now we need help to discover more colonies 👉 buff.ly/3D1Y7zm
📷: Peter Buchner
The Highland Nymph (Callisto coffeella) hadn't been seen in Scotland for 20 years until it was rediscovered in 2024.
Now we need help to discover more colonies 👉 buff.ly/3D1Y7zm
📷: Peter Buchner
February 25, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Volunteers wanted for Scotland-wide search for one of the country's smallest and rarest moths 🔍
The Highland Nymph (Callisto coffeella) hadn't been seen in Scotland for 20 years until it was rediscovered in 2024.
Now we need help to discover more colonies 👉 buff.ly/3D1Y7zm
📷: Peter Buchner
The Highland Nymph (Callisto coffeella) hadn't been seen in Scotland for 20 years until it was rediscovered in 2024.
Now we need help to discover more colonies 👉 buff.ly/3D1Y7zm
📷: Peter Buchner
Reposted by Will Langdon
Do you use Darwin Tree of Life (DToL) genomes for your work or grant applications? If so, can you please fill out this form? docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... We are gathering info on how DToL genomes are used. It will help us raise money to continue producing publicly available high-quality genomes.
Darwin Tree of Life Impact Assessment
This form is used to share information within DToL about case studies, ongoing research, and funding awards that demonstrate the impact the Darwin Tree of Life consortium project has had on Global and...
docs.google.com
February 24, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Do you use Darwin Tree of Life (DToL) genomes for your work or grant applications? If so, can you please fill out this form? docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... We are gathering info on how DToL genomes are used. It will help us raise money to continue producing publicly available high-quality genomes.
