Book Review: The Redemption of Wolf 302

**** Tells the story of an unlikely hero

Ever since wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in 1995 they have been intently observed by biologists and wolf enthusiasts. Amongst these, biological technician and park ranger Rick McIntyre has to be the most dedicated, having watched these wolves from dawn to dusk every day for around two decades now. The Redemption of Wolf 302 is the third book in the Alpha Wolves of Yellowstone series and tells the story of an unlikely hero.

Though this book can be read by itself, you will get more enjoyment out of the unfolding multi-generational story arc if you read the previous two instalments. Furthermore, McIntyre refers to earlier wolves quite frequently and this book picks up right where The Reign of Wolf 21 ended, meaning the earliest part of wolf 302’s life is not told here. However, a brief introduction brings you up to speed.

One thing this book makes clear is that wolves have individual characters. Whereas wolves 8 and 21 were devoted males looking out for their pack, the current protagonist is anything but. With the death of 21 in 2004, the second-ranking male 253 temporarily takes over but is quickly ousted by two neighbours from the Leopold Pack: 302 and his younger nephew 480. 302, however, is not a natural leader. An increasingly baffled McIntyre spends the first half of the book describing many instances of his unusual behaviour: he runs away during confrontations with other packs, quickly becomes subordinate to his much younger nephew 480, sneakily tries to mate with females when 480 is distracted, occasionally steals food from pups, and is easily spooked by prey carcasses moving when his packmates tear pieces of meat off them. When 302 snoozes on a nearby hill while the Druids battle a rival pack, ignoring their howls, McIntyre seems truly exasperated: “I had been rooting for 302 to do better in life for over four years, but his total noninvolvement as 480 rushed to confront these wolves made me think 302 was a lost cause” (p. 118).

Two black wolves on the waters edge of a pond in the snow. — Yellowstone National Park by NPS / Jacob W. Frank, via flickr.

As a consequence, the first part actually revolves around male 480 who steps up as the new Druid alpha male. Through the years 2005 and 2006 McIntyre witnesses the waxing and waning of power between the packs. Several Druid wolves are killed by the neighbouring Slough Creek pack in 2005 and the Sloughs expand their territory aggressively. The tide turns from 2006 onwards, though, when an unknown pack moves in from the north and subjects the Slough’s breeding den to a brutal siege and later kills its adult males. Subsequent accidents and poor breeding seasons for the Sloughs allow the Druids to regain much of their territory by 2008.

It takes until 2007 for wolf 302 to redeem himself, by which time he is over 6.5 years old, well beyond the average lifespan of wolves in Yellowstone. He finally starts helping the Druid females and pups, and assists male 480 during hunts and fights with other packs. By 2008 he leaves the Druids with a group of yearlings in tow and, together with a female from the Agate Creek pack, forms the newly-named Blacktail pack. In one example of stories coming full circle in this book, 302 takes up residence in the territory of the now-extinct Leopold pack, the same territory he was born in. Without giving away further spoilers, several other storylines come full circle at the end of 302’s life. Although not tugging on the heartstrings quite as much as the story of wolves 21 and 42, I was nevertheless so invested emotionally in the fully-lived lives of these wolves that by the end of the book I struggled to hold back tears. 302 ultimately transitions from a rebel to an alpha wolf deserving of that status.

3 wolves from a yellowstone wolf pack stood on either side of a trench with scrubland all around. — Yellowstone Wolves by Larry Lamsa, via flickr.

If you read the previous books then you know what to expect: no embellished writing but a detailed rendition of McIntyre’s field notes that recounts the day-to-day lives of these wolves. This book retains the same structure as The Reign of Wolf 21: short chapters bundled into parts, one part for each year. McIntyre has reverted to putting just one map with home ranges at the start of the book, together with diagrams of the changing pack compositions over the years. The Reign of Wolf 21 put maps and diagrams at the start of each part, which was a useful convention that helped keep track of all the players. It looks as if McIntyre decided that was not necessary for this book as it follows fewer packs.

Like previous volumes, this book overflows with interesting biological observations on e.g. play behaviour of pups and interactions with other species such as bears and ravens. A notable problem is the outbreak of mange, a mite-caused disease that leads to fur loss. Research using infrared cameras has shown the substantial loss of body heat this causes, and the resulting deterioration of health in the subzero temperatures of Yellowstone winters. McIntyre furthermore uses one chapter to shortly summarize observations on wolf injuries and mortalities that he mentioned in this and the previous two books. His observations mirror those of Wolves on the Hunt which showed wolves regularly suffer serious injuries while hunting prey, from broken ribs to fractured jaws. Sometimes these are fatal, though more wolves die as a result of fights with other wolves.

Close up of two wolves in Hayden Valley, Yellowstone National Park, walking over a snowy ridge. — Wolves in Hayden Valley by NPS / Ashton Hooker, via flickr.

As before, McIntyre rarely inserts himself in the narrative. He mentions notable visitors to the park and personal achievements such as his nine-year streak of daily observations, even when temperatures drop to lows of -44°C. There are two other striking examples of McIntyre’s detachment in this book. One is an incident where he leaves an injured wolf after several hours of observation and finds him dead the next day. McIntyre sticks to an iron rule that he is here to observe, not to interfere, and that means all facets of life and death in the natural world. The second incident is the start of the wolf-hunting season in Montana when wolves are removed from the endangered species list in 2009. The wolves in Yellowstone National Park are still protected, but those venturing outside are at risk. Despite expressing his concern for their safety, he refrains from giving his personal opinion on the hunting of wolves.

This series was originally going to be a trilogy, but by the end, McIntyre foreshadows the subject of the fourth book: the alpha females, particularly female 06. Named after her year of birth, 2006, she was a granddaughter of male 21 and was legendary for her fierce independence. Though she has been the subject of Blakeslee’s book American Wolf, McIntyre is uniquely placed to give an account of her life. For now, wolf aficionados can delight in The Redemption of Wolf 302. With each book, the payoff of following their story in this level of intimate detail is getting bigger – these books are in a class of their own.

The Redemption of Wolf 302 is available from our bookstore.

Mycology shortlist: Everything you need to know as a budding mycologist

Mushrooms have always been on the fringes of both the web of life and science in general, existing in the brackets between plant and animal in the minds of many. The Kingdom Fungi has, much like its constituents, rarely burst out into the light from the dark corners of popular science, that is, until recently. The last few years have seen Fungi of all forms thrust to the forefront of popular literature and medical research, which has generated a wave of renewed interest in the big questions around our mycelial cousins (after all they are eukaryotic cells just as we are). Where do they live, what can they do for us? And how can modern science get under the bonnet (pun intended) of these elusive but ultimately extremely important organisms?

If this surge in interest has managed to pass you by, or if you are already a budding (pun also intended) enthusiast, then this non-exhaustive, short-list of books will bring you up to date on the history and present knowledge of mushrooms and touch on the cultural importance of these diverse eukaryotes.

Fantastic Fungi – Paul Stamets and other contributors

How Mushrooms Can Heal, Shift Consciousness & Save the Planet

No list of mushroom focussed literature would be complete without mentioning one of the most influential figures in modern mushroom science, Paul Stamets, in cohort with some of the eminent minds of modern mushroom science and opinion. This book, which accompanies the Netflix documentary of the same name, covers many of the same topics but presents them in an accessible way with full referencing should you wish to take the topic further and research in your own time. The book covers a full complement of topics, ranging from the concept of a wood wide web of interconnected trees and fungal partners, to how chemical science can harness the unique biological properties of a range of mushroom species to give us vital and useful medicines, remedial chemistries, and solutions to some of our most pressing issues in modern life including national security, combatting bioweaponry, and pollution solutions on a global scale. Each page is accompanied by rich and detailed macro–photography characterising some of the unique and beautiful forms of these organisms and will leave a distinct impression that there is a whole world out there still waiting to be explored. The book closes with a dive into the what ifs that surround looking at the world with a mycelial lens and posits some interesting theories on the very sources of human existence and our co-evolution with mushrooms itself.

In Search of Mycotopia – Doug Bierend

Citizen Science, Fungi Fanatics, and the Untapped Potential of Mushrooms

Hailed as ‘a natural sequel’ to Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life. In Search of Mycotopia occupies very much the same area in most people’s libraries. An in depth and developed look beneath the often-elusive veil of the field of mycology and all its intricacies, this book takes a human–centric approach to the social side of the recent explosion in citizen mushroom science and how its these people that are driving development in this field before the lumbering pharma giants are able to gain a foothold. Focussing on the open-source nature of how modern mushroom research is conducted, it covers a range of topics that may be familiar to those already interested in this field but is also highly accessible to those who have not been introduced to this dynamic and interesting world. There is more nuance to the way that questions are asked around the great potential and almost utopic ideas that are posited in other mushroom literature, but this does not make this book any less inspiring or interesting and is a great hopping on point for the first stop on the mycelium express.

Entangled Life and Entangled Life (Illustrated Edition) – Merlin Sheldrake

How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures

Entangled Life is a colourful journey through one Merlin Sheldrake’s experiences with mushrooms and the niches which they occupy in everyday life. He adopts a ‘mushroom first’ perspective while investigating the reasons why mushrooms behave and perform in the way that they do, first leading with the ‘how’s,’ before following up with the ‘whys.’ Whether this is in a commercial, foraging, or clinical setting, seemingly the mycelium themselves posit the questions surrounding their unique biology and Merlin seeks to draw out answers and clarify what makes them so special to both us and the planet. He also leans on the cultural aspects of mycology and helps clarify just how important mushrooms have been in our history and are likely to be in our future. This is an excellent book for those who want to build a strong foundation of knowledge for modern mushroom science but is also great for those who want to take a slightly deeper dive into the bigger questions surrounding mycology. The new illustrated edition is a pared-down version of the full-text version and instead replaces some of the larger passages of text with high quality macro photographs that are described in such rich detail in the original text. It is an exquisite graphic accompaniment to the original book.

The NHBS Guide to Summer Foraging

Foraging for food is an easy way to connect people of all ages with nature. Some of us may forage unknowingly while picking juicy blackberries in the summer months, and some of us may be unaware of the vast array of edibles around us. Here we have selected a handful of items to forage through spring and summer, highlighting where you can find them and their culinary uses.

It is important to be certain of your identification, so if you are unsure, check all foraged foods with a professional because some plants have toxic look-alikes. Remember to forage responsibly by leaving plenty behind for wildlife and allowing plants to spore or set seed for regeneration.

Wild herbs

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)

Garlic Mustard, also known as Hedge Mustard or Jack-by-the-hedge, is a hairy herb in the mustard family. This plant has heart-shaped jagged leaves which emit a distinctive garlic odour when crushed, and has small, white flowers with cross-shaped petals. The species can grow up to 1m in height and can be found in woodland, hedgerows, cultivated land and on the borders of agricultural farmland. Each part of this plant is edible, but harvesting is best between March–April and July–September. Garlic mustard is best enjoyed before flower stalks develop, as this can create a bitter taste. The roots of this plant can be used as a substitute for pepper and horseradish and is said to taste like wasabi. The leaves have a garlicky flavour, and can be used as a replacement for traditional, store-bought garlic.

Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum)

Image by Leonora (Ellie) Enking via Flickr

Wild Garlic (also called ramsons, bear garlic or broad-leaved garlic) is easily identified by its distinctive fragrance. When walking through areas of Wild Garlic, which are often found in large groups, you may catch a whiff of their characteristic garlic smell in the air. These areas are typically damp, shady woodland and can often be found with bluebells close by, as the pair have similar growing conditions. This plant can be seen from late winter till the end of spring, with flowers appearing in April/May. It has distinctive white, star-shaped flowers that grow in clusters. Their leaves are elongated, and when crushed release a pungent smell.

With a milder taste than shop-bought garlic, this plant is suitable for use in pastas, pesto’s and soups and can be infused into oils and vinegars. Only the flowers and leaves are edible, so it is best to leave the root to allow for regrowth – it is also worth noting that younger leaves are better for cooking, as older leaves can create bitter flavours. This plant can be confused with the poisonous Lily-of-the-valley, so it is best to smell the leaves before consuming them – alternatives will not have a distinctive garlic smell.

Wildflowers

Elderflower (Sambucus nigra)

The Black Elder tree, a deciduous species, can grow to six metres in height and is identified by toothed, oval leaves. Each compound leaf has up to seven leaflets, arranged in opposite pairs with a single leaflet at the top. The flowers of this tree, elderflowers, bloom between May and June. Clusters of white, five-petalled flowers appear with prominent yellow stamens, and umbels of dark berries form in late August. Elderflowers can be found growing in a variety of conditions, and are largely non-selective with their environment, which can include hedgerows, woodland, scrubland, grassland and urban green spaces. Elderflowers have a long tradition of culinary use in the UK, using both berries and flowers for different purposes. Preserves, cordials, gins and puddings are all common uses of elderflower. The flowers can be eaten raw, but berries must be cooked before use. Elderflowers have a sweet and zesty taste and an aroma which is slightly lemony.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

Although there are around 250 species of dandelion, here we refer to them collectively as they are difficult to distinguish from one another.

An instantly recognisable British wildflower, the dandelion features a bright yellow composite flower crown on a bed of large, jagged leaves. These species are very common and widespread, popping up almost everywhere from parks and gardens to roadsides and meadows. The roots, leaves, flowers and buds of the dandelion can be used for food and can be harvested from early spring to late autumn. The roots can be used as a coffee substitute and are famously used in the Dandelion-and-Burdock drink. Leaves can be added to salads and the dandelion flowers are often used in cakes. You can also make beer from the entire plant.

Fruit and berries

Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)

A hairy, perennial herb in the rose family, the Wild Strawberry can be found from May to August. The species is indiscriminate of their growing environment and can be found in a wide range of areas – it is found naturally growing in woodlands, hillsides, meadows, hedgerows and urban green spaces. Wild Strawberries can be identified by serrated, trifoliate (three leaflets) leaves and white, five-petalled flowers with a yellow centre. The berries of a Wild Strawberry appear similar to that of commercial strawberries but are generally smaller and rougher. These edible berries can be foraged from June onwards to make teas, cordials and puddings or can be infused into vinegars and sauces. With a sweet and juicy taste, these fruits can also be used as garnishes or used in salads.

Bramble (Rubus fruticosus)

A sure sign that summer has arrived, the Bramble is an iconic British summertime plant. This perennial shrub can be found up to 3m in height, featuring thorny stems which turn red with age and dark, jagged leaves. Come spring, a Bramble bush will have small groups of white or pale pink flowers with five petals. The fruit of this plant will appear up until autumn, with distinctive black, shiny berries. Ripening from green to purple-black, blackberries have a sweet, tart flavour. They are widespread in the UK and can be found in many habitats including woodland, hedges, fields and urban spaces. It is advised to pick blackberries away from busy roadways and paths to avoid pollutants and other contaminants. Picking from the upper half of the bush is also advised to avoid dog mess. The blackberry is a versatile fruit, with diverse culinary uses. It is commonly used to make jams, jellies and preserves but can also be used to make cordials and fruity teas.

Mushrooms

Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus)

Laetiporus sulphureus, named Chicken of the Woods, is a thick bracket fungus common in the UK. This fungus has bright yellow-orange clusters that fade to cream with age. The average cap can grow to around 45cm in width and is often found growing on the side of trees in broadleaf habitat between June and November. It is mainly found on oak trees, but can also be found on Yews, cherries, Sweet Chestnut and willow. It should be noted that if the fungus is found growing on Yews, or other poisonous trees, the fungus can cause sickness in humans. The firm texture of this fungus makes it a favorable alternative to chicken in vegetarian dishes, as the name suggests. It is often substituted in stews, stir fries, and marinated on skewers. When foraging, it is best to eat younger specimens to avoid a hard, leathery texture associated with older fungi.

Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea)

Giant Puffballs are an astonishing sight when found in the wild. Their distinctive white, spherical silhouette can reach up to 90cm in diameter. This fungus has a soft, spongy texture inside, and a thick, velvety texture on the surface. A stemless variety, this plant is found directly on the ground and is often found in small clusters or ‘fairy rings’. As the fungus ages, it becomes browner in colour, compared to the firm, white flesh of young specimens. Giant Puffballs can be found in meadows, open pasture and woodland from July to September. They are widespread in the UK but are localised in habitat. This fungus is popular with vegetarian dishes – its firm, thick texture makes it a great substitute for chicken. It is often pan fried like steak, roasted or breaded and fried.

Additional Reading

Guide to Foraging

Unbound | January 2016

An essential fold-out guide to the 25 most common and tasty plants to forage in Britain and Ireland.

The Foragers Cookbook

Paperback | December 2016

A unique cookbook containing 65 wild food recipes with detailed identification guides to 15 common edible plants.

Concise Foraging Guide

Paperback | May 2021

A waterproof practical pocket guide to 194 edible fruits, nuts, flowers, vegetables and more that can be foraged in the UK and Europe.

This Week in Biodiversity News – 19th August

Pollution

Marine noise pollution is inhibiting the recruitment and settlement of oyster larvae. A study from the University of Adelaide has reported a disturbance in oyster uptake in conservation projects where acoustic technology is used to attract larvae to new settlement areas. These invertebrates use natural acoustic cues to dictate their settlement, as well as navigation, communication and predator avoidance, making them more vulnerable to changes in their soundscape. Noise pollution from shipping, construction and machinery is interfering with these acoustic cues and limiting the benefits of acoustic technology in attracting oysters to reef habitats.

Outstretched hands holding a few oysters — Image by Charlotte Coneybeer via Flickr

Artificial light in urban areas is impacting herbivory on trees. A study in Beijing showed that tree leaves in urban environments are visibly less damaged than rural tree communities. The study found that trees exposed to greater levels of illuminance from streetlights concentrate their energy on defense by thickening their leaves and producing chemical compounds such as tannins. The results suggested that trees exposed to high levels of artificial light may extend their photosynthesis duration, thus resulting in these characteristics. Ramped up defences means that thickened leaves are inedible for invertebrates, which could have cascading effects on the rest of the food chain, leading to a harmful reduction of herbivorous insects and predatory species in urban areas.

Wildlife

A badger vaccination programme in Cornwall shows promise in helping to manage bovine tuberculosis (bTB). The farmer-led pilot was conducted over four years in Cornwall and involved mass vaccination of badgers across 12 farms with huge success – around 74% of local badgers received the vaccine, with the number of infected badgers falling from 16% to zero. With bTB highly destructive to farmers and their livelihoods, the disease results in tens of thousands of cattle being culled each year and, although large-scale assessment is needed to measure vaccination impact on disease rates in cows, this programme could substantiate calls for the government to further support community-led vaccination.

A badger is standing on a mossy bank next to a body of water, there is a pink flower on its left side and it is facing the camera — Image by Caroline Legg via Flickr

Brazil is moving forward with plans to turn the Pantanal into an industrial waterway. The world’s largest wetland, comprised of over 1,200 rivers and streams, is home to an astonishing level of diversity and supports a host of vulnerable and endangered species, including Jaguars and Giant Otters. This biologically-rich environment is at risk from the Hidrovia Project – a plan proposing to build ports, straighten river bends and dredge the Paraguay riverbed to establish a shipping route for crops such as sugar and soya beans. This development could bring about irreversible damage to the environment – disconnecting the river from its floodplain, shrinking wetland habitats and causing disruption to seasonal flood patterns – meaning extinction for many of the animals taking refuge there.

The largest outbreak of avian influenza is infecting hundreds of species across the world. H5N1, a highly contagious, deadly strain of bird flu, is threatening the world’s biodiversity after infecting 485 bird species and 48 mammal species, including Polar Bears and captive tigers. The virus broke out in Europe in 2020, where it spread to a further six continents through bird migratory pathways. This evolutionarily flexible pathogen is ravaging wild animal populations across the globe, decimating 40% of Peruvian pelicans, 17,000 Argentinian Elephant Seal pups, over 30,000 Sea Lions and 75% of breeding Great Skuas in Scotland, among others. With continuous adaptation, the virus is now able to spread directly between mammals, raising greater concerns for human health and wellbeing.

Conservation

The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) is set to begin the restoration of lost rainforests in Pembrokeshire. Historically, the west coast of Britain had large expanses of temperate rainforest that were gradually destroyed over hundreds of years. Only 1% of these habitats remain, and WTSWW wishes to return these areas to their former glory, improving habitats for wildlife in the area. Currently, the 146-acre land is designated for agriculture with nearly all fields grazed, but the Trust hopes to begin planting the first seeds in 2025, with visible growth in three years.

A continent-wide survey of Antarctica’s plant life has revealed growth in previously uncharted areas. This survey provides a baseline of lichens, mosses and algae, which will be used to monitor vegetation responses to climate change and inform conservation measures in the region. Researchers employed a European Space Agency satellite to sweep the area, and combined this data with field measurements. The survey has detected almost 45km² of vegetation in the region, accounting for only 0.12% of Antarctica’s ice-free area, highlighting the importance of these environments.

A small penguin is standing on rocky ground with moss on it, its wings are outstretched and it is facing the camera — Image by Robert Oo via Flickr

Top 5: Bat Detectors

Bats use echolocation, a series of high-pitched calls, to socialise, navigate their habitat and hunt for their prey. Most of these vocalisations are above the range of human hearing, so we require a bat detector to hear them. These devices allow us to monitor bat species by listening to their calls, observe their behaviours and feeding, and to identify species in a given area. Here we look at a selection of our bat detectors, highlighting the key points to consider when expanding your kit.

#255963 Echo Meter Touch 2

A popular, cost-effective option. This lightweight, full-spectrum recorder can be attached to your mobile device to listen to, view and record sounds while identifying the species encountered on the free app. For device compatibility, see the Wildlife Acoustics page.

Recording format: Full spectrum

Listening mode: Heterodyne

Max frequency: 128kHz

Sample rate: 256 samples per second at 16 bits

#171849 Magenta 5

This entry-level detector has a very simple design catering to complete beginners. It allows users to listen in real time, with extended low frequency coverage which can also pick up insects and birds.

Recording format: Heterodyne

Max frequency: 130kHz

Long battery life

Manual tuning

#194636 Elekon Batscanner

An auto-scanning, heterodyne bat detector, the Elekon Batscanner allows for simple listening in real time. This detector features excellent audio performance with a digitally driven heterodyne converter.

Recording format: Heterodyne

Frequency range: 15–120kHz

Up to 25 hours operating time

#177263 Batbox Baton

A cost-effective, frequency division detector, the Batbox Baton is simple and easy to use thanks to its auto-scanning, one-button operation. This detector also comes with BatScan software to analyse your recordings.

Recording format: Heterodyne

Frequency range: 20–120kHz

Up to 30-hour battery life

#245798 Anabat Scout

Designed for transect surveys, this full-spectrum detector features a built-in GPS and a simple press-and-go design suitable for any level of experience. The Scout ensures excellent quality audio and recording, which can be analysed using the free Anabat Insight software.

Recording format: Full spectrum

Frequency range: 10–160 kHz

Sampling rate: 320 ksps, 16 bit

Up to 10 hours of battery life

For more information on how to choose the right product, see our Buyers Guides.

Recommended reading:

The Handbook of Acoustic Bat Detection

September 2021 | Paperback

An in-depth handbook on how to gather and analyse bat calls.

Acoustic Ecology of European Bats

June 2020 | Hardback

This unique, richly illustrated book offers an extensive reference on the acoustic identification of European bats.

Author Q&A with Rob Thomas: The Storm-petrels

In the latest work of the Poyser series, Rob Thomas brings us the definitive work on Europe’s storm-petrels. Meticulously researched by one of the world leading experts, this book follows European Storm-petrels, tracking their lives as they breed, migrate and overwinter. Rob shares the story of the group’s evolution, behaviour, ecology and adaptations, interspersed with charming personal anecdotes and observations.

Rob Thomas has been working at Cardiff University for over 20 years. He is a senior lecturer in Zoology who specialises in bird behaviour and ecology, and has been studying storm-petrels since he was 16. His work has taken him to Wales, Scotland, Portugal and the Faroes, where he studies storm-petrel breeding behaviour and long-distance migration journeys. He is the co-director of Eco-explore Community Interest Company and is a trustee of the Initiative for Nature Conservation Cymru (INCC).

We recently had the opportunity to chat with Rob about what inspired him to write a book on storm-petrels, his favourite storm-petrel facts and more.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what inspired you to write a book about Storm-petrels?

I’ve been birdwatching since I was a small boy – initially in the land-locked county of Breconshire in mid-Wales where I grew up, but as a teenager I started visiting the islands of west Wales and later Shetland, where I encountered storm-petrels for the first time. Since then, I have been fascinated by these remarkable little seabirds and the islands where they breed. Birdwatching led me into bird-ringing, and later into a career as a university researcher and lecturer, and storm-petrels have been the subject of much of my research and teaching work, including supervising various MSc and PhD projects on the behaviour, ecology and conservation of different storm-petrel species around the world. In recent years there has been an explosion of storm-petrel studies, partly due to advances in miniaturised tracking technology and the genetic methods that can be used to study storm-petrel diet and evolutionary relationships. Given the mass of new discoveries being made, together with renewed interest in the folklore, art and literature relating to storm-petrels, they became the natural subject for a new book about these truly remarkable seabirds.

a small brown and white bird is skimming over the ocean water, with droplets falling from its feet — White-faced Storm-petrel (Pelagodroma marina). Image by Ed Dunens via Flickr

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing these species, and how do you think we can work to minimise the impacts of this challenge in the future?

Seabirds are among the most threatened groups of birds globally, and storm-petrels themselves are vulnerable to a wide range of threats, including various forms of pollution (e.g. plastics, oil and other chemical pollutants, as well as light pollution), overfishing, and the looming impacts of rapid climate and oceanographic changes. For storm-petrels, perhaps the greatest threat of all comes from the arrival of non-native predators on their breeding islands; rats and cats have caused the local extinction of storm-petrels on numerous islands, as well as the likely global extinction of one species, the Guadalupe Storm-petrel. Fortunately, this threat can very effectively be addressed by the eradication of non-native predators, and this is steadily being carried out on seabird islands around the world, including in the UK and British Overseas Territories such as South Georgia. This is one of the most dramatically – and immediately – effective methods for helping storm-petrels that we have in the conservation toolbox.

There are often challenges with tagging storm-petrels due to their small stature. Are there any technological advances in surveying and research techniques that you would like to see employed and that would aid in tagging and monitoring them?

The miniaturisation of tracking technologies over recent years (geo-locators and GPS tags, as well as associated technologies such as accelerometers and depth-loggers) has led to a genuine revolution in our understanding of the behaviour and ecology of storm-petrels at sea. It is only in the last few years that GPS tags have become small enough to track birds as small as the smallest storm-petrels, including our own European Storm-petrel; the familiar species of the NE Atlantic (weighing approx. 25g), and we suddenly have a quite detailed understanding of where they go and what they do at sea. This tracking technology is now being deployed on some of the very rarest species (e.g. Monteiro’s storm-petrel of the Azores), to understand their conservation needs. One very exciting new development is the combination of tracking storm-petrels on their foraging trips at sea, with DNA analysis of the prey that storm-petrels deliver to their chicks, and remote-monitoring of behaviour in the nest burrow using miniaturised cameras and audio equipment – these can be used alongside more traditional methods, such as manual nest-checks and weighing of nestlings, to understand the factors on land and at sea that contribute to breeding success or failure.

A small black bird in a hand — European Storm-petrel. Image by Rob Thomas

I really enjoyed learning that the oldest European Storm-petrel recorded was estimated to be 40 years old, an astonishing age for such a small seabird. Do you have a favourite piece of information you discovered throughout researching and writing this book?

Yes! I have many favourite storm-petrel facts, including my provisional top five:1) storm-petrel chicks can hibernate (i.e. strategically reduce their body temperature and become torpid across multiple days) in order to save energy between food deliveries by their parents; 2) storm-petrels have the largest eggs relative to their body size (approx. 25-30% of the mother’s body mass) of any birds; 3) we still don’t know how many storm-petrel species there really are (the 28 formally-described species in the book is definitely an underestimate); 4) the New Zealand Storm-petrel was thought to be extinct for 176 years, until it was re-discovered in 2003 and happily seems to be thriving; and 5) the name ‘petrel’ may not refer to the disciple Peter walking on the waters of the Sea of Galilee as has often been stated, but may actually be derived from a much older old word ‘pet’, meaning ‘to break wind’ (yes, I am easily amused).

The world is currently facing a worrying decline in not only storm-petrel populations, but also many other seabird species worldwide. What would you say to people who might question the importance of safeguarding and conserving these animals

Most people have never heard of storm-petrels, let alone seen one. But this does not mean that storm-petrels are unimportant – they are perhaps more important that even I (a self-identifying storm-petrel fanatic) had assumed. Species do not need to be useful to humans to be an important part of the ecosystem that they inhabit; they are ecologically important in their own right, whether we are aware of them or not. Furthermore, storm-petrels reveal to us many of the ways in which our own activities as humans are impacting the natural world. Even storm-petrels, among the wildest of creatures, breeding in some of the most remote parts of our planet, are badly affected by our pollution, our entourage of non-native pets, livestock and plants, and they are highly sensitive biological indicators to the ongoing climatic and oceanographic impacts of our activities that are changing the composition of the planet’s atmosphere. For all of these reasons, it is important that we understand and act on the things that storm-petrels can tell us, or we ignore these messages at our peril.

two small brown-black birds are flying above the sea surface, they have their wings outstretched and a bar of white feathers at the base of their tail — Wilson’s Storm-petrel (Oceanites oceanicus) Image by Ryan Mandelbaum via Flickr

Is there a species of storm-petrel that has so far eluded you, and which you would still love to see?

Oh yes, there are many! I have personally encountered only six or seven of the 28 or so storm-petrel species that are currently available (depending on how species are counted). I am hoping to spend the rest of my life occasionally meeting new storm-petrel species; two of my most-longed-for are the White-vented Storm-petrel (probably the smallest seabird in the world), and the Matsudaira’s Storm-petrel (one of the least-known and most-endangered of the storm-petrel species).

Finally, are you currently working on any other projects that you can tell us about?

Yes, an exciting new project involves working with local conservationists on the Faroe Islands (which host the largest colonies of European Storm-petrels) to understand the impacts (both positive and negative) of marine developments such as wind farms, fish farms and artificial lighting on these internationally important breeding colonies. Another very exciting new initiative is a collaborative project known as ‘Seaghosts’, led by Raül Ramos Garcia of the University of Barcelona in Spain, tracking the movements of different species of storm-petrels from breeding colonies across the North Atlantic, across their annual cycles. Seabirds ignore national boundaries, and such international collaborative projects are key to understanding threats and conservation solutions at a global scale.

Storm-petrels is published by Poyser Monographs and is available in harback and flexibound here.

Author interview with Stephanie Kim Miles: QGIS for Ecologists

QGIS for Ecologists teaches the fundamental stages of mapping land for ecological projects and reports and is ideal for those working in ecological consultancy and conservation, or for students with little to no training on the use of this software. Guiding the reader through the processes of basic survey mapping, aerial imagery, habitat mapping, designated sites and more, it provides a useful resource for anyone unfamiliar with the most accessible platform used to create maps for reports.

Stephanie Kim Miles works as a GIS Officer for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, having previously worked as an ecological consultant specialising in ornithology. We recently had the opportunity to talk to Stephanie about how they first became interested in QGIS, the challenges they faced while writing a book on such a complex software and more.

Firstly, can you tell us a little about yourself and how you first became interested in QGIS?

I studied Environmental Science at Lancaster University for my undergraduate degree. When I graduated, it seemed to me that all the cool jobs wanted you to know Geographical Information Systems (GIS). At the time, GIS was not being taught as part of degree programmes, so this was not a skill I had. I was lucky enough to find a role with the promise of being taught GIS on the job and I began working for a multinational engineering and environmental consultancy. I learned how to create maps and spatial analyses for Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for port expansions and offshore renewables projects, particularly wind farms. Whilst studying for my Masters in Conservation and Biodiversity at the University of Exeter, I tutored fellow students in the use of GIS. When working in an ecological consultancy, I performed field surveys for protected species and used QGIS software for the first time to map the results for reporting. I also became one of the tutors for the course: Beginners QGIS for Ecologists and Conservation Practitioners for the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM). I am currently working for The Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BBCT) where I use QGIS to map and analyse spatial data. I use QGIS to support the monitoring and evaluation of bumblebee conservation projects and to map bumblebee records for BeeWalk, a citizen science recording scheme.

Figure 6.4 Protected Species Map from a Water Vole Survey. — Figure 6.4 Protected Species Map.

For those who might not know about this software, could you give us a brief overview of what QGIS is and its applications in relation to conservation?

QGIS, as with other GIS software, is a computer programme used to visualise, analyse and map any data with coordinates. You do not need to know how to write computer code as the interface uses a mouse to click through menus, like in familiar Microsoft Office applications, for example.

QGIS is free of charge making it accessible to those working in small consultancies and conservation charities. The software is open-source, meaning that anyone with the ability to code can write scripts called plugins to automate certain tasks. Fortunately, such coders exist within the ecological community! Particularly useful is the TomBio plugin written by Rich Burkmar and other contributors at the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The TomBio plugin enables you to import biological records and easily map them at a suitable scale for the data accuracy as points or grid squares at different scales (as you may have seen on the National Biodiversity Network (NBN)).

In ecological consultancy, you need to access the impact of works on the habitats and species present and suggest mitigations and improvements. In conservation, you need to be able to access the site condition prior to conservation interventions, during and after habitat improvements and/or species work have taken place. Both ecological consultancy and conservation use similar processes to do this, such as the Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) reporting process. This consists of an initial desk study to find existing ecological data and environmental designations, followed by field surveys, the findings of which are written up in a report. At every stage, GIS can be used to map and analyse the data to provide the information and visualisation required for reporting.

What inspired you to write this book for fellow ecologists?

While developing the teaching materials for CIEEM courses I found I was essentially creating a textbook. I have continued to teach QGIS to colleagues and trainees while working in conservation, becoming more and more aware that a textbook would be really useful for me and those I was teaching. I felt that publishing a book would enable me to train more people in the use of GIS for ecology and conservation than I could on a one-to-one or class basis. I think it is really important that as many ecologists and conservation practitioners as possible can use GIS, I believe every project can be improved by understanding where everything is in relation to each other and creating beautiful, accurate maps to show it.

This book starts with the basics of QGIS, working up to the creation of several types of maps. How did you decide on the breadth of this book and which tutorials to include??

I chose the tutorials to cover maps I have most frequently needed to produce for ecological reporting: a basic survey map, an aerial imagery survey map, a designated sites map, a desk-study map, a protected species map and a Phase 1 habitat map. As part of this you use UK sites and data, learn how to download free-to-use maps and datasets, georeference images and import GPX files into QGIS. Once you have worked through the tutorials, workflows are provided that you can follow with your own sites and data. I hope that having this refresher to refer to means you can maintain GIS skills in your own workplace, without having to reread the entire book to remember what you need to do.

Did you face any challenges in creating an easily digestible guide for such complex software?

Yes! When I first started training others and began writing down instructions for creating maps, I found that I would often leave out certain steps I was very familiar with. In person, teaching a class or one-to-one, I was there to provide any additional steps I had not written down. I knew that in writing the book I would need to make very sure that I had not missed anything! To do so I have spent a number of years perfecting the tutorials and data used to make it as streamlined and clear as possible.

Another challenge has been the changing nature of data availability, sources and copyright, as well as software updates that all make the processes work slightly differently. I have worked hard to ensure, as much as possible, that the workflows will remain current even if external data sources change.

Chapters 5–11 contain exercises for readers to undertake to improve their understanding of the subject and enhance their learning experience. Can you briefly describe how you created these and explain why you feel practical exercises were important to include?

Part 1 includes Chapters 1–3 and provides a summary of the book, an introduction to myself and to QGIS. The practical Part 2 begins at Chapter 4 with instructions for downloading QGIS and the data needed for your first maps. The exercises for producing maps are in Chapters 5–11. Part 3 contains the answers to the exercises in Chapter 5–11. Part 4 is Chapter 12 with the workflows for each maps produced in Chapter 5–11, so you can easily refer back to how each map was made, without having to reread the exercises again.

I wanted to include exercises aimed at creating maps that ecologists need to produce for reports. As GIS is a practical skill, it was very important to me that, as soon as possible within the book, you are able to create your first map. I have found that it is important to be able to produce maps while learning the basics of GIS. This helps to build confidence in what you are doing and see the results of your learning quickly. I hope that making several types of map, starting simply and ending up with the most complex, makes it easy to follow and it is clear how you will apply the skills you are learning to your work.

Will you be working on any more projects like this in the future?

I hope to write a follow-on book about the use of QGIS and QField for data capture in the field using tablet devices.

QGIS for Ecologists is available to pre-order from the NHBS bookstore

Q&A with Pete Haskell: Celebrating 60 Years of the Scottish Wildlife Trust

The Scottish Wildlife Trust is the leading charity seeking to protect and restore the diversity of the Scottish landscape and its species. Based in Edinburgh, this membership-based organisation has a key role in the conservation of over 90,000 species through practical work, campaigning, education and management in over 100 wildlife reserves.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust will be celebrating their 60th anniversary this year, marking the occasion with their storytelling campaign Words of the Wild. We recently spoke to Pete Haskell, Head of Communications and Engagement, on the work of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, its iconic projects and their goals moving forward.

Visitors on Handa Island Wildlife Reserve. Image by Pete Haskell, The Scottish Wildlife Trust

Could you give us a brief introduction to the Scottish Wildlife Trust and how it was formed?

Today, the Scottish Wildlife Trust is Scotland’s leading nature conservation charity, but it all began as a small group of passionate people in Edinburgh 60 years ago.

It was in 1964 that Sir Charles Connell, along with a handful of others, decided to establish an organisation whose focus was the protection of Scotland’s wildlife for the benefit of present and future generations. Despite being run on a shoestring budget, within a year the Trust had 400 members and a long list of volunteer members of Council that included several professors, a general, several prominent landowners, a museum curator, the presenter Tom Weir and representatives from the Forestry Commission and The Nature Conservancy.

By the end of 1966, the Trust had acquired its first three wildlife reserves, and its work has continued to grow in breadth and scale ever since.

Could you tell us about the aims of the Trust, and what kind of work you undertake?

The Trust’s vision is of a network of healthy, resilient ecosystems on land and sea, supporting Scotland’s wildlife and people – something we’ve been pursuing for our 60-year history with support from our members, partners and volunteers.

The Trust successfully champions the cause of wildlife through policy and campaigning work, demonstrates best practice through practical conservation and innovative partnerships, and inspires people and communities to take positive action through education and engagement activities. We also manage a network of over 100 wildlife reserves across Scotland, welcome visitors to our three visitor centres at Montrose Basin, Loch of the Lowes and Falls of Clyde, and are a member of the UK-wide Wildlife Trusts movement.

Community Engagement Work. Image by Pete Haskell, The Scottish Wildlife Trust

What have been the most iconic projects for the Trust over the years? And could you tell us about your biggest challenges and successes?

Where to start! As an organisation that covers all of Scotland and all of its wildlife, we’ve been involved in a huge variety of projects over the last six decades.

In the 1980s, we had a big focus on acid rain, organising an international conference that brought together a wide range of experts to discuss the major points of evidence around the issue and the damage it causes. This resulted in delegates agreeing a detailed resolution that called for the UK Government to take decisive and immediate action to combat acid rain.

In the 1990s, one of our major focuses was peatland restoration. As well as leading a peatland campaign that raised awareness of the importance of the habitat and its wildlife, we worked in partnership with Scottish Natural Heritage (now NatureScot) to undertake one of the most comprehensive assessments of any habitat in Britain and published a peatland management handbook used by land managers across Europe.

In the 2000s, we started two of our most iconic species-focused projects. In 2008, we partnered with the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland to lead the five-year Scottish Beaver Trial in Knapdale, a groundbreaking project that saw the first formal reintroduction of a mammal anywhere in the UK. And in 2009, we established Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels, a partnership project that continues to this day to protect our native Red Squirrel population.

The past decade or so has seen some of our most ambitious projects to date. Our Living Landscape initiatives in Coigach and Assynt, Cumbernauld and Edinburgh are working to deliver environmental, social and economic improvements on a landscape scale. Through our Living Seas project, we have created a network of snorkel trails across Scotland to encourage more people to experience the incredible marine life that Scotland’s seas are home to. And most recently we have been progressing our Riverwoods initiative which is set to accelerate the creation of woodland habitat along Scotland’s extensive river network.

Snorkellers. Image by Alexander Mustard for The Scottish Wildlife Trust.

What are your hopes for the future? How do you think the Trust’s goals will change past Strategy 2030?

Our firm hope is that we begin to see nature recovery on a national scale. We have 60 years of impactful conservation behind us, but nature is in a state of crisis, with one in nine Scottish species threatened with extinction. As our life support system, nature is vital to every one of us and it will take everyone – from decision makers to community groups – to help turn the tide on nature loss.

But even if we can get over that biggest of hurdles – where nature is no longer declining and starts on an upward trajectory – there is a huge amount to do. With the UK one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, the road to achieving our vision is a long one. There will inevitably be new challenges to overcome but the thing that unites the Trust – our staff, volunteers, members, donors and partners – is an unenduring passion and love for nature. They say you can have too much of a good thing, but when it comes to nature, that’s just not the case!

Sixty years of educating, campaigning and protecting nature is an incredible milestone. How will the Trust be celebrating this important anniversary?

Whilst there are many things going on across the Trust to celebrate our 60th anniversary, the major focus is our storytelling campaign, Words of the Wild. The campaign has three strands: a series of events focusing on the stories of some of our reserves; a new and very recently launched podcast series that will explore the stories of the Trust’s past, present and future; and a nature writing competition that encourages others to share their stories of Scotland’s wildlife and wild places in no more than 1,000 words. The competition has an adult and a junior category and is open until 31st August. There are some fantastic prizes for the winners, including some generously donated by NHBS, for which we are very grateful.

If readers would like to find out more about the Trust or enter the Words of the Wild competition, visit scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/

How Can We Use Sound to Measure Biodiversity? – Webinar Round-up

In July, the Biological Recording Company held the first of three webinars on bioacoustics in conservation. These webinars, which are presented in partnership with Wilder Sensing, Wildlife Acoustics and NHBS, began with a general introduction to bioacoustics, and will be followed with two sessions later in the year discussing the technology in more detail.

In the first webinar, talks by Geoff Carss of Wilder Sensing and Joe Hampson from the Somerset Wildlife Trust provided listeners with an overview of bioacoustic technology, its applications in measuring diversity and a short story of Honeygar farm, the Trust’s first ‘wilded’ site. NHBS are pleased to have sponsored this webinar, and we would like to thank participants who took part in our prize draw to win a Song Meter Micro 2.

Wilder Sensing: An entry-level introduction to bioacoustics

Bioacoustics provides ecologists and conservationists with an auditable, low-cost technology to measure biodiversity. It involves the use of audio recorders to passively detect sound in an environment, which can then be analysed to provide insights into community assemblage.

This technology can be used to measure several environmental variables, including animal presence, soil health, weather and infrastructure. Long-term monitoring of an environment can provide us with new insights on the richness and species density of an area and can even be used to analyse migration of key groups. Analysis can also determine areas of interest and habitat preferences for certain species, which can be used to inform future land management.

This method removes bias from traditional surveying techniques, where the skill and age of the observer, or sometimes even the day itself, can impact the result of a traditional survey. However, there are some limitations associated with this technology. False positives (the technology can misidentify a species), false negatives (the technology might miss a call), poor sound quality and mimicry can impact the accuracy of recorded data. To capture an accurate picture of community assemblage, passive recording is best used in partnership with traditional site surveying. This way, disturbance and false negatives can be mitigated, and through bioacoustic surveys, we can revisit the recordings as technology develops.

An acoustic sensor deployed at Honeygar Farm. Image by Wilder Sensing.

Key points:

Bioacoustic technology provides additional insights into community assemblage through the use of sound

The technology is best used alongside traditional surveying for a more accurate overview

The technology is limited by sound quality, false positives and false negatives.

Somerset Wildlife Trust: Honeygar Farm Case study

Honeygar Farm is an 81-hectare site of former intensive farmland, now owned by the Somerset Wildlife Trust (SWT). Since acquiring Honeygar, SWT have employed a unique ‘wilded’ approach to restoring the site.

Changes in hydrology management were among the biggest alterations at Honeygar, as the site has been subject to intense peat drainage to make way for agriculture. Honeygar has over two metres depth of peat, equivalent to 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide, so restoring the natural peatland by blocking drainage ditches was key to improving the carbon storage on site. Cutting and grazing by cattle, historically a huge pressure, has also been reduced from a herd of around 140 animals to 40 individuals. This, partnered with limited silage cutting and resting fields from grazing, is encouraging recovery of the botanical communities on site. The Trust is also exploring the use of different ungulates, including goats, ponies and different cow breeds, to better support the wetland habitat.

Over 20 months, nearly 13 million records were gathered using four sensors on site. This monitoring was undertaken alongside breeding bird, wintering bird and breeding wader surveys to provide a more detailed picture of community assemblage, confirmed with manual validation and targeted surveys to assess rare bird presence. Honeygar will continue to be monitored for insects, birds, mammals, fungi and plants to inform future management practices.

Speaker Joe Hampson deploying acoustic recorders on site. Image by Wilder Sensing.

Key points:

Honeygar Farm is the Trust’s flagship site for the ‘wilding’ approach

Formerly an agricultural farm, Honeygar is being restored to its natural peatland habitat through alterations in landscape management

Bioacoustic technology has provided insight into the community assemblage at the farm, helping to inform landscape management.

This webinar was an enlightening insight into bioacoustics and highlighted some interesting points on its conservation applications. Read our Q&A with Geoff to hear more about Wilder Sensing and its technology, and find more details on Honeygar on the Somerset Wildlife Trust website.

Find tickets for the next webinar, ‘Can Passive Acoustic Monitoring of Birds Replace Site Surveys?’ here.

The NHBS Guide to UK Common Garden Beetles

Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera, meaning ‘sheath-winged’. They get their name from the adaptation of their front wings which have formed tough protective cases called elytra. This gives them an armour-like appearance while protecting the delicate wings underneath.

As one of the most diverse groups across the world, there are over 400,000 species – more than 4,000 of these can be found in the UK. In this post we will look at some of Britain’s beetles, detailing their key features and where to find them.

Rose Chafer (Cetonia aurata)

Rose Chafer by Hedera Baltica via Flickr

Conservation status: Common

Distribution: Widespread across the UK, but scarce in number. Most common in southern England.

Identification: This large beetle is instantly recognisable by its iridescent emerald green carapace. Up to 2cm long, this broad beetle will often have white streaks across its wing case, which can occasionally appear purple or bronze in colour. The underside is covered in fine, pale hairs and there is an obvious ‘V’ shape on its back where the wing cases meet.

Where to find them: Grassland, woodland edges, scrub and farmland. Rose Chafers can also be found in towns and gardens, where they are considered a pest. You can find them between May and October when they can be spotted in sunny weather.

Cock Chafer (Melolontha melolontha)

Conservation status: Common

Distribution: Widely distributed across the UK, more common in the south of England.

Identification: The UK’s largest scarab beetle, the Cock Chafer can grow up to 4cm in length. It has rusty brown wing cases with a black body and brown legs. Its underside is covered in fine, pale hairs and it has a pointed tail. It has distinctively large, fan-like antennae that can be used to distinguish the sex – males have seven feathers and females have six.

Where to find them: Meadows, farmland, grassland, woodland, heath and moorland, and gardens from April to July. These insects are mostly seen after sunset, where they can be found near streetlights and bright windows.

Stag Beetle (Lucanus cervus)

A large, black and maroon coloured beetle standing on a piece of wood. — Image by Ben Sale via Flickr

Conservation status: A globally threatened species, the Stag Beetle is listed as a priority species in Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Distribution: Nationally scarce. This species is mainly found in south-east England. It is most abundant in the Thames Valley and Hampshire and is locally common in some areas of the south-west.

Identification: A spectacular insect, the Stag Beetle is recognised for its antler-like mandibles. Males can grow up to 8cm, while the females grow to 5cm and have smaller mandibles. Both have a shiny black head, thorax and legs with chestnut-coloured wing cases.

Where to find them: They can be found from mid-May to late July in woodland, hedgerows, parks and gardens. Although usually found on the ground, males can be seen in flight during sunset on hot summer evenings.

Lesser Stag Beetle (Dorcus paralellapipidus)

Conservation status: Common

Distribution: Found throughout England and Wales.

Identification: Smaller than their threatened cousins, the Lesser Stag Beetle grows up to 3cm in length and can be distinguished by smaller mandibles and knobbed antennae. Although similar in shape and colour, this species has a broad head and matt black wing cases.

Where to find them: Hedgerows, woods, farmland, grassland, towns and gardens from May to September. They can often be found basking in the sun on tree trunks and can be seen flying near bright lights at night.

Rosemary Beetle (Chrysolina americana)

Conservation status: Common

Distribution: Widespread in the UK, particularly in south-west England. Distribution is patchier in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Identification: A small, shiny beetle growing up to 1cm in length, the Rosemary Beetle is a striking metallic green with orange and purple stripes. The head and thorax are mostly green with some red markings, and the legs are a brown-red.

Where to find them: Rosemary Beetles are found year-round but are commonly spotted between April and September. The species is closely associated with Lavender, Thyme and Rosemary.

Wasp Beetle (Clytus arietis)

Conservation status: Common

Distribution: Widespread across the UK, less common in Scotland.

Identification: A narrow-bodied longhorn beetle, this species has a long, black body with yellow horizontal stripes. The Wasp Beetle has short brown antennae and brown legs.

Where to find them: Wasp Beetles can be found in farmland, woodland, hedgerows, parks and gardens between April and July.

Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)

Conservation status: Common

Distribution: Widespread in the UK.

Identification: Growing up to 1cm in length, the Red Soldier Beetle is small and narrow. It has a rectangular body that is a vibrant orange red with black tips to the wing cases. Their orange legs are tipped with black feet and they have long antennae.

Where to find them: This species can be found from June to August, usually on open-structured flowers such as daisies and Cow Parsley, in grasslands, hedgerows, woodland, parks and gardens.

Red-headed Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis)

Conservation status: Common

Distribution: Widespread in England and Wales.

Identification: A mid-sized beetle growing up to 2cm in length, the Red-headed Cardinal Beetle has a vibrant orange-red head and wing case. Its legs and antennae are black, the latter long and toothed.

Where to find them: Adults can be found in woodland, hedgerows, farmland, parks and gardens from May to July.

Devil’s Coach Horse Beetle (Staphylinus olens)

Conservation status: Common

Distribution: Widespread in the UK.

Identification: The Devil’s Coach Horse, easily recognised by its scorpion-like stance when threatened, is a medium-sized black beetle growing up to 3cm in length. It has large, powerful jaws and a long, thick abdomen. The body is covered in fine black hairs and the wing cases are very short.

Where to find them: Devil’s Coach Horse Beetles can be found from April to October in hedgerows, grassland, farmland and gardens. They require damp living conditions and are often found under stones and in compost heaps.

Violet Ground Beetle (Carabus violaceus)

Conservation status: Common

Distribution: Widespread in the UK.

Identification: Growing up to 3cm in length, the Violet Ground Beetle has a distinctive metallic violet colouring running along the edge of a black thorax and smooth wing cases.

Where to find them: Violet Ground Beetles can be found from March to October in woodland, grassland, moorland and urban areas. They are frequently found under logs and stones.