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News
New Discussion Forum launched
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TWIC have launched a new online discussion forum. You can discuss all aspects of wildlife across the Lothians and Borders, as well as look for volunteering opportunities, get help with species identification and get to know fellow recorders in the area.
The forum can be found here. We hope to see you online soon.
Posted: December 13th 2011
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Study shows nearly 75% of butterfly species have declined in the UK.
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A joint project between Butterfly Conservation and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) has shown a decline in almost three quarters of butterfly species in the UK. The full article can be read here.
The article illustrates the importance of biological recording as the majority of the record used in the study were from volunteer recorders, so please keep submitting your records to us or to the relevant wildlife groups.
Posted: December 13th 2011
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Range of expansions of four butterflies in the Lothians.
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Our ecologist, Natalie Harmsworth (pictured), has written an article for the Autumn newsletter for the Lothian Group of Butterfly Conservation. The full article can be read here.
If you have any records or sightings of any of the species mentioned in the article, and want to help us monitor the spread of these species in the area, please send the records to us and we will ensure that Butterfly Conservation receive these records.
Posted: November 24th 2011
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Scots revealed to be big nature lovers
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A poll carried out for Scottish Natural Heritage has shown that Scots have a deep love of nature, with over 90% of us enjoying seeing birds in our gardens and parks, and 89% of us seeing our woodland creatures as part of Scottish culture.
The poll also showed that our priorites for nature varied by area. In the Lothians, the biggest issue is the conservation of our woodlands. In the south of Scotland, the priority is to see increased diversity in broadleaved trees within mixed woodlands.
For more information please visit SNH's website by clicking here.
Posted: November 2nd 2011
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Edinburgh Entomological Club 2011-12 Program
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The Edinburgh Entomological Club has released their 2011-2012 program of talks which occur between October and May. For further details please click here.
Posted: October 24th 2011
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Midlothian Local Biodiversity Site wins Green Flag award
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Springfield Mill in Midlothian has won a prestigious Green Flag award. The site has also been designated as a Local Biodiversity Site, one of several within Midlothian. For further details of the award, please click here.
Posted: October 5th 2011
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SWT Events August to November
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Scottish Wildlife Trust are holding various events across Scotland from August through to November, including several in the Lothians and Borders. There is a Geese Walk at Aberlady Bay in East Lothian on Saturday October 8th at 3pm, meeting at Aberlady Bay Reserve car park. Cost is free.
There is also a Fungal Foray on Saturday October 1st at Pease Dean Reserve in the Scottish Borders. Cost is £1. For further information on these excursions and others, please click here.
Posted: September 28th 2011
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Scottish Herpetology Meeting
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The meeting will be held in the Graham Kerr Building at the University of Glasgow on Saturday 5th November 2011, from 9.30am to 4pm. For more information go to http://www.scottishfrogs.co.uk/SHM2011/.
Posted: September 21st 2011
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Phasia hemiptera - Records Appeal
.jpg "Photo courtesy of Colin Legg")
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Colin Legg spotted this spectacular fly at Craiglockhart Pond, Edinburgh feeding on the flowers of Ground-elder. This is the male of Phasia hemiptera whose strangely dark blue coloured and thickened wings are both unusual in flies and very distinctive of this species. The female does not have the same wing patterning and is harder to spot. The fly is one of the Tachinidae family that is 260 species of parasitic flies in the UK whose larvae develop within the bodies of other invertebrates. In this species they lay their eggs in large plant bugs such as the Forest Bug which is widespread and common. The species is locally common in England but there are noticeably few records for Scotland and only a couple for the Lothians found by Sandy Rae in Humbie, East Lothian at this time of year, last year and again this year (there is also one record for Gordon Moss in Berwickshire on TWIC’s database). Has this very interesting fly been overlooked in the southeast of Scotland for so long? It would be great to get some more records and, unusually for flies, a photograph would be sufficient for an accurate ID. Heads of umbels is the place to find them – and send the photos into TWIC
Posted: July 14th 2011
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