Derek Binns
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arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
Derek Binns
@arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
1K followers 130 following 810 posts
Amateur naturalist - parasitic wasps (and other tiny insects) specialising in UK Trichogrammatidae and Mymaridae. All posts are my own finds, and all are found in Sussex (unless otherwise stated).
Born at 317.68ppm.
Posts Replies Media Videos
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
A female Chartocerus subaeneus wasp of the Signiphoridae found 29.7.2025 in the old meadow at Great Dixter.
It was very good year for Signiphorid wasps.

#UKWildlife #Signiphoridae #wasps #HighWeald
Side view of a tiny brown wasp. Its head and antennae are to the left of picture, its ovipositor is pointing to the right. Wings with shaded bands are held above the body.
January 15, 2026 at 2:11 PM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
A 0.8mm long female Ufens hirticornis wasp of the Trichogrammatidae found 1.8.2023 in Brede High Woods.

#UKWildlife #wasps #Trichogrammatidae #HighWeald
View looking down on a tiny wasp with wings outstretched. The wasp's head and yellow antennae are to the top of picture. Its body is brown with a couple of yellow patches. The paddle-shaped clear wings have rows of hairs along each wing disc.
January 15, 2026 at 9:52 AM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
A beautiful 0.5mm long Uscana princeps wasp of the Trichogrammatidae found 5.9.2023 at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve.

#UKWildlife #wasps #Trichogrammatidae #RyeHarbour
Side view of a tiny wasp. Its bright yellow head with a large red eye is to the left of picture.Its body is predominantly a smoky grey colour. Its wings are held vertically above the body; they are paddle-shaped with long fringe hairs, and they have a smoky area at their bases.
January 13, 2026 at 11:09 AM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
A beautiful little Tardigrade - Ramazzottius aff oberhaeuseri found in lichen growing on a wind-blasted tree trunk in Warrior Square gardens yestrerday.

#UKWildlife #Tardigrade #St.Leonards
A brown chequerboard patterned Tardigrade viewed from above. Its head end is to the left of picture, and the internal mouthparts can be seen. Legs are clearly visible with their claws along one side and to the rear of the animal.
January 12, 2026 at 12:01 PM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
11.1.2026
07.51 am
A dramatic skyscape as the sun is still just below the horizon and is uplighting clouds in various shades of orange and red
January 11, 2026 at 9:31 AM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
A female Anaphes globosicornis wasp of the Mymaridae found 10.9.2025 in the old meadow at Great Dixter.

#UKWildlife #wasps #Mymaridae #HighWeald
Looking down onto a tiny brown wasp with outstretched wings which are clear, and have long fringe hairs. The wasp's head is to the top of picture
January 9, 2026 at 4:47 PM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
A faded Ooctonus hemipterus wasp of the Mymaridae found in Combe Valley 31.7.2024. Love those brachypterous wings!

#UKWildlife #wasps #Mymaridae
Side view of a tiny brown wasp with disproportionately small wings. Its head is to the left of picture and has a large red eye and long pale antennae.
January 6, 2026 at 11:39 AM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
08.14am, 4.1.2026.
The sun in a clear sky is just above the horizon on a calm sea observed between two houses.
January 5, 2026 at 1:16 PM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
Whither goest thou Mr.Fox?
a trail of footprints in the snow leading from bottom of picture to top, the prints were caused by a fox
January 4, 2026 at 1:53 PM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
8.19am, 3.1.2026.
Sunrise from the sea. The sea is dark and there is a strong horizontal line marking the horizon. A thin line of cloud is just above the horizon, and the sun is shining through the cloud. There is a strong gradation of colour in the sky from dark orange near to the sea, rising to a clear blue at the top of picture.
January 3, 2026 at 10:28 AM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
A female Microterys tricoloricornis wasp of the Encyrtidae found in the garden bay tree for New Year's Day.

#UKWildlife #wasps #Encyrtidae
View looking down on a tiny wasp. To the right of the picture it has black and white antennae, an orange-brown head with green eyes, an orange-brown thorax with a light metallic sheen, and banded wings folded across its body.
January 1, 2026 at 3:19 PM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
#TheArchers
Presenting a united front was a good idea to show George that he can't play one against the other any more. But giving him no choice knowing he has no options was wrong. Instead of guidance they have turned him into a loose cannon when he has just acknowledged he can't control himself.
December 30, 2025 at 9:25 AM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
First leaf moult of a Lithops dorotheae seedling sown in February this year. The tiny plants that have come through the year successfully are now just starting to split and to grow. New life in the midst of winter is a joy.

#Lithops
An oval shaped tiny plant. Its pair of pinkish leaves are starting to part in the middle to reveal a new pair of leaves emerging beneath. The plant is seen against a background of grey stone chips.
December 27, 2025 at 12:35 PM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
The remarkable wings of a tiny wasp. These are the fore-wings and hind-wings of a Litus cynipseus wasp of the Mymaridae. The wasp is only 0.4mm long, and its wings are very narrow. Wasps are amazing!

#UKWildlife #wasps #Mymaridae
Slide image of a set of wasp wings; from top of picture are alternating fore-wing, hind-wing, fore-wing, hindwing. The wings are extremely narrow, and they have very long fringe hairs.
December 19, 2025 at 11:56 AM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
A rather fine 0.6mm long female Anaphes crassicornis wasp of the Mymaridae found 19.11.2025 at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve.

#UKWildlife #wasps #Mymaridae #RyeHarbour
Side view of a tiny brown wasp. Its head and antennae are to the left of picture, head has a large red eye. Blade-like fringed wings are held vertically above body. Ovipositor is horizontal below abdomen to the right of the picture.
December 18, 2025 at 2:49 PM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
17.12.2025.
8.12am
this morning's sky; the sea is still dark, and there is a line of dark cloud obscuring the horizon. At the top of the cloud bank the sun is peeking through, illuminating wispy bits of high level cloud with orange light
December 17, 2025 at 9:40 AM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
A seven-spot Ladybird in the garden today.

#UKWildlife #Ladybird #Coccinella
Looking down on an orange-red oval Ladybird with seven small black spots on its back. It is walking along a grey-white dried stem of a plant.
December 16, 2025 at 4:39 PM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
A 0.9mm long female Chaetostricha similis wasp of the Trichogrammatidae found 10.8.2025 in the garden birch tree.

#UKWildlife #wasps #Trichogrammatidae
side view of a yellow wasp with paddle-shaped wings held over body, its head with large red eye is to the left of picture
December 11, 2025 at 1:43 PM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
A very handsome Echiniscus testudo Tardigrade found in lichen on a branch blown down in the winds in Alexandra Park, Hastings.

#UKWildlife #Tardigrade
view from above of an orange-brown Tardigrade. Its head end is to the right of picture, and its eight sets of claws are to either side of the body.
December 9, 2025 at 9:44 AM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
One of today's fruiting bodies emerging in the garden.

#fungi
A toadstool growing out of grass, surrounded by fallen birch leaves. The toadstool has a white stem, creamy white gill edges at the side of the cap, and is maroon on top
December 8, 2025 at 12:57 PM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
Help needed please!
Have been asked by my brother what these two insects in amber are.
I can tell they aren't wasps, but ...
Anyone got any thoughts?

#entomology #amber
December 8, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Reposted by Derek Binns
united24media.com
Watch the magical moment as a Ukrainian choir performs the famous Ukrainian carol in Austria’s Parliament.
December 6, 2025 at 8:56 PM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
Aren't wasps wonderful?
A beautiful Mymar pulchellum wasp of the Mymaridae found 22.8.2025 in the old meadow at Great Dixter.

#UKWildlife #wasps #Mymaridae #HighWeald
View looking down onto a tiny orange-brown wasp with long-stalked wings that have a spoon-shaped end portion that is half-shaded, and fringed.Head and long antennae are to the top of picture. Long thin legs are to either side of body.
December 7, 2025 at 10:46 AM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
@ologies.bsky.social This is such a good series. Essential listening.
December 6, 2025 at 11:00 AM
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
It's that time again. #RyeHarbour
A rural landscape with a pale grey sky above a green grass mid-ground above a brown wind-burnt rough grass foreground. In the centre of the picture there are five yellow haul trucks that are driving from left to right. The haul trucks are transporting shingle dredged from the river mouth at Rye Harbour. They are depositing it between Winchelsea Beach and Pett Level in order to replenish the beach after shingle has been eroded by storms. If the beach weren't replenished in this way it would result in the sea wall becoming undermined, and thence the inundation of Pett Level.
December 5, 2025 at 4:58 PM