Author Archives: dogsdave

Well, it’s a new year and it didn’t take long to confirm our latest new garden species, and we are so glad to see another species of spider. Zygiella x-notata is a very common species and we have likely just overlooked it to date. Viewed up close it really is a fantastic looking animal, whichContinue reading “Zygiella x-notata – New Garden Species”

Black ants are a part of everyday life for most of us, and a nuisance to some when they infiltrate our homes. But watch them in the garden, even for a short while and you will likely notice some form of interesting behaviour. In our 15th Article we look at some of the observations weContinue reading “The Black Ant – Lasius niger”

Article 14 of our project to record and attract wildlife to a garden in Brislington focuses on one of the most colourful, advantageous (if you’re a gardener) and numerous insects that, whilst perhaps not as appreciated as the average butterfly or bumblebee, are just as interesting and important. In this article we also cover whatContinue reading “Introducing the Hoverflies!”

As one aim of Wildlifegarden.org is to demonstrate the amazing diversity of life that can still be found in our gardens and open spaces, in particular around the Brislington area of Bristol, we will be focusing on the more obscure species just as much as the common things we sometimes take for granted. To thisContinue reading “Hazel Aphid / Leek Moth / Minettia fasciata”

Our third and likely final project of 2021 is complete, our Wildlife Hotel. Well its not finished just yet as we will need to begin filling it with logs, canes, rocks and leaves etc. But that’s the easy part and all being well it should be welcoming guests next spring. DC 02/12/2021

One of the more tropical looking species we have in Brislington (native to the UK), always worth keeping an eye out for this impressive lady during the May – August period. DC 30/11/2021

Two in two days, and coincidentally this new species belongs in the same family as yesterdays Sharp-Tail Bee. It really does pay to go back over the hundreds of photographs digital photography allows you to take. This one totally bypassed us until now. Photographed on the 26th June 2021, another listed as Most Likely SpeciesContinue reading “Willughby’s Leafcutter Bee – New Garden Species (MLS)”

Just going through some of this summers photographs and one bee I had thought was another Ashy Mining Bee I noticed had a strange bottom (or more accurately spines on tergites 5 and 6), this meant this was in fact a Sharp-tailed bee species. We think it’s possibly a Large Sharp-tailed Bee (Coelioxys conoidea) butContinue reading “Sharp-tailed Bee – New Garden Species (MLS)”

For the first time we have to consider what to do when we actively introduce a native species to the garden unintentionally. In this case I was recently visiting a private woodland (with the owners permission) and I came back with a small branch I felt would look nice alongside the wetland/pond area we created.Continue reading “Chlorociboria aeruginascens or Green Elf Cup – New Garden Species. But should it be?”

Whilst looking to get a positive ID on the Green Aphids on our hazel tree we came across this tiny little guy under the stereo microscope. It was found on the underside of a hazel leaf within its flat web structure. It was very sensitive to the microscopes light so we took a quick snapContinue reading “Nigma Puella – New Garden Species”