Heather Ladybirds at Rothbury

Continuing this year’s quest to find and record ladybirds across the North East, back at the end of March I popped up to Rothbury in search of the elusive Heather Ladybird (Chilocorus bipustulatus). This is a species which should, theoretically, be incredibly numerous up here given the abundance of Heather but despite this, there isContinue reading “Heather Ladybirds at Rothbury”

Rhyzobius chrysomeloides in Tyneside

Recently, I was delighted to discover a population of the inconspicuous ladybird, Rhyzobius chrysomeloides, in Tyneside.

Plant of the Week: Mougeot’s Whitebeam, Sorbus mougeotii

It might seem odd to start a new series with a tree few have heard of (I certainly hadn’t until a few weeks past) but recently, I’ve been bumping into the unassuming Sorbus mougeotii quite a bit in my local area. Looking similar to the Swedish Whitebeam (Sorbus intermedia), at least to my untrained eye,Continue reading “Plant of the Week: Mougeot’s Whitebeam, Sorbus mougeotii”