Dave Appleton
LightNews LightNews
banner
applewildlife.bsky.social
Dave Appleton
@applewildlife.bsky.social
1.8K followers 470 following 1K posts
Interested in pretty much any wildlife, especially birds, moths and a host of other insect groups. Norfolk county recorder for lacewings and allied insects.

Based in North Elmham, Norfolk, UK.
Posts Replies Media Videos
applewildlife.bsky.social
Still working through specimens from last year… Here’s a beetle family-tick from 11th July: Orchesia micans (Melandryidae). I found this one indoors at home. Not very common apparently. #UKBeetles
Dorsal view of Orchesia micans, found in my house in July. A dark reddish brown beetle getting greatly darker towards the front. It has a smooth outline, long hind tibia and shallowly clubbed antennae. #beetle #Coleoptera Side view of Orchesia micans, found in my house in July. #UKinverts
January 29, 2026 at 4:35 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
Filed my self assessment tax return about four days earlier than usual, so to celebrate here are some snaps of a funny robin I saw recently in Sheringham #EasternBlackRedstart #NorfolkBirding 🪶
Eastern Black Redstart in a tree Facing right showing grey upperparts, black breast, orange underside and rufous tail Eastern Black Redstart in a tree Front on from underneath Eastern Black Redstart with a mealworm on the grass Mealworms had been put by photographers previously. Eastern Black Redstart on the grass Facing towards the camera
January 27, 2026 at 9:17 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
Apparently there are still people out there who don’t pour Baileys on their Frosties. I recommend it, but maybe not for breakfast. #dessert
A bowl of Frosties breakfast cereal with Baileys poured over it. Highly recommended for dessert.
January 25, 2026 at 8:32 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
For the first time since the spring, I'm up to date getting my photos off my camera. Best bird photo is this showy Sparrowhawk from a visit to family in the Lakes with @andyappleton.bsky.social in Nov. Best local patch bird was this Black-bellied Dipper at Bintree Mill in Dec. #NorfolkBirding 🪶
Sparrowhawk head facing right Black-bellied Dipper partly submerged in water Black-bellied Dipper standing on vegetation in the stream
January 11, 2026 at 6:58 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
Certainly get that impression. I've not been entirely consistent with recording these at my garden moth trap but have done so more diligently in recent years - yet recorded fewer. This chart shows the numbers I've recorded by year.
Chart showing the number of Common Earwigs recorded in my garden (almost entirely at light) by year. The chart shows a peak of 37 in 2019 but no more than 6 in the last 4 years.
January 7, 2026 at 9:14 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
I've only just got round to processing the photos from that day so here are some more: one of 6 Little Stints, a Little Ringed Plover and a Ruff. All birds I don't see on my local patch very often.

#Titchwell 🪶
A juvenile Little Stint at Titchwell in August. A small brown wader facing right. The wing feathers and scapulars are neatly fringed and the mantle feather has a pair of white 'tramlines'. #NorfolkBirding a juvenile Little Ringed Plover facing left. A small wader with brown upperparts broken by a white collar. It has a dakr breast band and dark through the eye which has a yellow eye-ring. #Birds #Shorebirds a Ruff facing left. On this one the head is largely white withe some brown flecks and the neck is white. The upperparts are brown with each feather having a pale fringe.
January 3, 2026 at 10:53 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
Here's a Grey Heron, a Redshank and a Sparrowhawk, from a rare visit to the coast in the summer. Not a very good photo of any of them.

#NorfolkBirding #Birds 🪶
A Grey Heron is standing in water with a dead Redshank hanging from its beak. By coincidence, a Sparrowhawk is flying low over the water and is directly behind the heron and the redshank in this shot. I'd been watching the heron with the redshank for several minutes. I think the redshank was possibly dead before I saw them so I don't know if the heron killed it or not. The heron kept dunking the redshank, shaking it a bit and then dropping it back in the water, leaving it briefly before going back and repeating. In the end it walked away and I don't think it ended up eating it.
January 3, 2026 at 10:42 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
How rare is it to find Pholcus phalangioides in the middle of a field 1/2km from a building? Found in a suction sample in Sept but I wonder if it could have entered the bag while the sampler was at home? I'd have shaken the bag out prior to sampling but maybe missed it? @britishspiders.bsky.social
December 20, 2025 at 9:45 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
Is it safe to call this Callitula pyrrhogaster or are there any confusion species? I can't find a relevant key but it looks like other photos of this species and it's supposed to be distinctive. It's 1.5mm long and was found by suction in late July in grass at the edge of wet woodland in Norfolk.
Presumed Callitula pyrrhogaster, a tiny wasp with a shiny red gaster and very dark (almost black) green strongly sculptured head and thorax. The legs and antennae are orange. #UKinvert #wasp A view under the microscope of the same presumed Callitula pyrrhogaster, now deceased. #Hymenoptera A side view of the same presumed Callitula pyrrhogaster.
November 21, 2025 at 4:46 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
A good day to come across this account: apparently it’s the 10th anniversary of my Brown Shrike find…
Brown Shrike at Porthgwarra on 20th October 2025.
October 20, 2025 at 7:24 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
In case anyone's interested, here are the faces of each species (yellow except for a dark central keel on signatus, yellow with a pair of thick dark stripes on brevirostris). I had originally doubted my brevirostris ID as the femora had dark patches but comparing each one's epandrium settled it.
Face of one of the Ivy Waspgrabbers (Leopoldius signatus) showing fully yellow below the antennae except for a narrow dark line along the central keel #UKFlies #Diptera Face of the Early Waspgrabber (Leopoldius brevirostris) showing thick dark lines extending down the sides of the frons #Conopidae Epandrium of one of the male Ivy Waspgrabbers (Leopoldius signatus), after clearing in potassium hydroxide solution and viewing from in front Epandrium of the Early Waspgrabber (Leopoldius brevirostris), after clearing in potassium hydroxide solution and viewing from in front
October 12, 2025 at 10:59 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
I had fun identifying Conopid flies today including two recent Ivy Waspgrabbers (Leopoldius signatus) and one from last year. Armed with this experience I revisited and confirmed a suspected Early Waspgrabber (Leopoldius brevirostris) from 2020, quite rare apparently. All four had come to light.
Male Leopoldius signatus (Ivy Waspgrabber), dorsal view, a distinctive yellow and black fly that is believed to attack wasps. Male Leopoldius signatus (Ivy Waspgrabber), side view. Male Leopoldius brevirostris (Early Waspgrabber), dorsal view, another distinctive yellow and black fly that seems to be quite rarely recorded. Male Leopoldius brevirostris (Early Waspgrabber), side view. A pair of black lines down the side of the face (not visible in these photos) pointed to this ID but I had been concerned by the dark patches on the femora that are not supposed to be present on this species. However today I was able to compare the epandrium of both species side by side and clinch the identification.
October 12, 2025 at 10:50 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
The number of Harlequin Ladybirds hibernating in my kitchen went up yesterday: 18 late morning, up to at least 54 by evening. I usually get 2- and 7-spot Ladybirds hibernating in my study and Harlequins in the kitchen but this is more than usual.
A clutser of Harlequin #Ladybirds resting between the vent and the ceiling above my kitchen window. The ladybirds show a mixture of colour forms, mostly orange with black spots (some larger spots than others, some with few or faint spots). A few are black forms with two or four red spots. #hibernation A larger group of Harlequin Ladybirds in the same place as in the last photo. They're covering themselves up so it's hard to get an exact count but I reckon there are at least 54 visible (if only just). #UKBeetles #UKInverts
October 7, 2025 at 5:01 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
I'm working on my specimens caught over the summer. This from my garden moth trap on 13th June appears to be Deleaster dichrous, although there were some problems keying it (tarsus 4 not simple for starters). Not many records in Norfolk (only one up to the end of 2021, don't know after that).
Deleaster dichrous, a smallish rove beetle, as I found it on an eggbox in my moth trap. A better view of the Deleaster dichrous in a pot. The pronotum, elytra and appendages are reddish and the head and abdomen are mostly blackish. Another view of the Deleaster dichrous in a pot.
October 3, 2025 at 3:37 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
Diasemiopsis ramburialis (Migrant Sable) in mid Norfolk last night. I’ve caught lots of good moths here incl. 3 county firsts but this may be the rarest @migrantmothuk.bsky.social so far.

4th for Norfolk (3rd this year) unless @norfolkmoths.bsky.social has others pending.

#NorfolkMoths #TeamMoth
Diasemiopsis ramburialis (Migrant Sable) taken from the side showing how it sometimes stands with the front of its body raised. The wings are brown with irregular white barring. #MigrantMoths The same Diasemiopsis ramburialis (Migrant Sable) taken from above. It usually rested flatter to the ground as here. The rear edge of the wings aren’t smoothly curved but the jagged-edged effect is exaggerated by the alternating patches of dark brown and white along its cilia. #TeamMoth #MigrantMothsUK
September 20, 2025 at 3:49 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
I like it when a #newt shows up at my moth trap. I've had Smooth Newts here a few times now but previously they've always been unspotty juveniles (one was a little spotty).

#Amphibians
Smooth Newt: dorsal view on a white background #Amphibia Smooth Newt side view of head and front of body #Amphibian Smooth Newt side view showing spots on bottom of body Smooth Newt climbing plastic showing underside of front including spots and orange stripe down belly (which continued along tail).
September 18, 2025 at 5:42 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
It would be great to have an up-to-date book on Europe's lacewings etc. but this isn't it. A hefty price for a small book that covers a small % of its too-big scope. The plates are mainly set specimens, too small to be of use. Some useful detail but limited value with so much omitted. More in ALT.
The recently-published Neuropteroids of Europe in my hand, showing the front cover. The superorder Neuroptida includes lacewings, alderflies and snakeflies, and scorpioflies are often treated together with these, but I feel it was a mistake to try and include caddisflies and stoneflies in addition. The book is smaller than I imagined, making it even harder to squeeze in a useful amount of detail. Priced at between £75 and £80 (depending on seller) it's a lot of money for a book that doesn't contain enough detail to allow reliable identification of the majority of species. It does however contain some good stuff. There is information that's not readily available elsewhere and I think the list of references will be very helpful for knowing where to go to find out more. Worth having if you have a special interest in the groups covered, but I don't agree with the advertising: "A true field guide, this book on neuropteroids of Europe is aimed at both beginner entomologists and professionals". If it is aimed at beginners and professionals I fear it won't hit the mark for either. It will be disappointing if you are a beginner hoping to find nice descriptions and pictures of the commoner/more distinctive species (for example most of the photos of green lacewings are pinned specimens that like they have brown bodies and white wings, too small to see any detail) and it will be disappointing if you are a professional hoping to identify tricky species (e.g. only 7 out of 49 species of waxfly mentioned and none with enough information to identify them). It does seem to be better for a few of the most eye-catching groups, for example all 12 species of Libelloides (a genus of owlflies) are covered with sufficient detail to enable identification in most cases.
September 10, 2025 at 3:29 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
I caught this Wasp Nest Beetle (Metoecus paradoxus) in my moth trap last night, a new species and family for me. They lay eggs in rotting wood that a wasp might harvest. If one does then the larvae climb on to the wasp, hitch a lift to its nest and then parasitise the wasp larvae. Neat trick.
Wasp Nest Beetle (Metoecus paradoxus) from my garden moth trap (North Elmham, VC28). A reddish brown beetle with a distinctive shape tapering to a point at the rear. The black antennae are feathery and the black legs very long. Another view of the Wasp Nest #Beetle #UKbeetles #UKInverts A side view of the Wasp Nest Beetle. From this angle you can see the body is quite chunky, black on the head and thorax and orange on the abdomen (except at the tip which is black). Another view of the Wasp Nest Beetle. Here it is walking around without its elytra (wing-cases) held apart to reveal the orange abdomen. The membranous wings themselves are extended so these are visible beyond the elytra.
September 7, 2025 at 3:01 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
How many generations do Ruby Tigers have? They're said to have two, one in spring and a larger one in Jul-Sep. But my records show a dip in late Aug, and phenology charts at @norfolkmoths.bsky.social & other county websites reflect this pattern so I wonder if they have 3, spring, Jun-Aug & Sep?
A Ruby Tiger. Not one of the four I caught here last night, but one photographed a few years ago. A reddish-coloured moth with some dark spots on the forewings. You can just see the brigher red abodomen poking out between the wings. #TeamMoth #NorfolkMoths A graph showing the distribution through the year of 187 records of 376 Ruby Tigers from my garden moth trap between August 2014 when I moved here and last night. It shows a single record in mid May, futher records from mid June to late August, more-or-less normally distributed and peaking in late July, and then an increase in early September tailing off during the same month. The months, split into third-months, are on the x axis and the number of records (in blue) and number of additional individuals counted (in red) are shown on the y axis (though the y axis isn't labelled for reasons I won't go into now). This pattern, a small peak in spring, a much larger peak in July to August dipping at the end of August before a third peak in September seems to be reflected in the phenology charts at most of the county moth websites I've checked (with a couple of exceptions where the late August dip is not apparent). The marked dip in late August could just be coincidence, but as the pattern is reflected in many of the larger county datasets I suspect it is significant (although the phenology chart in the Atlas of Britain and Ireland's Larger Moths doesn't seem to show any dip in late August). At least some of the moths I've caught in September have been reasonably fresh (though I shall pay more attention to this in future) suggesting that they are recently-emerged and not end-of-season stragglers.
September 6, 2025 at 4:56 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
Best thing in the trap this week was the mayfly Heptagenia sulphurea (Common Yellow Dun) which has quite a restricted distribution in East Anglia. See ALT text for notes about its changing eye colour. Also two Clifden Nonpareils were nice, the first time I've caught two in a year. #NorfolkMoths
The mayfly Heptagenia sulphurea (Common Yellow Dun). This was taken when I found it, freshly-arrived in the evening, and the eyes are black. When adults first emerge as sub-imago they have black eyes but judging from the various photos of sub-imagos with blue eyes, they often (usually?) turn blue before they complete their moult to imago. But this is an imago (the wing membrane is clear, except the yellow leading edge), so do they sometimes complete their moult before their eyes change colour, or do they turn black again when they moult to imago? I'm guessing the former is more likely but would love to know. A bright yellow #mayfly with two tails. #riverfly The same mayfly Heptagenia sulphurea (Common Yellow Dun) taken early the following morning, and now the eyes have turned blue. This species is common across much of the UK but much less so in East Anglia. #UKinverts #Mayflies #Riverflies Clifden Nonpareil caught in my garden moth trap on Sunday night. I caught a second with the mayfly on Wednesday night. A huge moth at the bottom of my moth trap. It's forewings and body are brownish-grey with intricate darker markings, some orangey. It's holding its forewings apart so revealing the hindwings which are blue-black with a broad pastel blue curved bar running across them, giving rise to its alternative name Blue Underwing. #TeamMoth
September 6, 2025 at 4:06 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
Three more lacebugs Kalama tricornis today, this time in pitfall traps. Two were in the same place as the one I found by suction yesterday. I look forward to encountering more lacebugs - they're rather smart. Platydracus stercorarius was quite striking for a rove beetle, even on its last legs.
The #lacebug Kalama tricornis, seemingly clinging on to a dead stem but I think actually just walking over it. It has lacey wings and pronotum which extend beyond the ege of the body so it seems to be surrounded by a film of lace. #UKbugs Two lacebugs Kalama tricornis, one now on the dead stem it was walking over in the last photo. #UKinverts The large rove beetle Platydracus stercorarius. This is a matt black beetle with hairy red elytra (wing cases), white patches of hairs at the sides of each segment of the abdomen and reddish on the legs and antennal bases. The beetle was just about alive when this photo was taken, but the head is drooped and the legs have begun to retract. #UKbeetles
August 26, 2025 at 7:47 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
I enjoyed some productive suction-sampling today. Lots still to identify but among the highlights was my first (long-awaited) lacebug: Kalama tricornis. Also Angle-spotted Scymnus (Scymnus frontalis), one of the commoner inconspicuous ladybirds to have eluded me until now. #UKbugs #UKbeetles
The lacebug Kalama tricornis, a very small #bug with lacy edges to the pronotum and lacy wings. Its antennae - or rather its antenna as one is missing - is thickly hairy. Another view of the same #lacebug, Kalama tricornis. #UKinverts The inconspicuous ladybird Angle-spotted Scymnus (Scymnus frontalis). A small black beetle with a pair of large orangey-red spots on the wing-cases. The appendages (legs, antennae and, not visible here, palps) are orangey-brown. #InconspicuousLadybird A side view of the same Angle-spotted Scymnus (Scymnus frontalis). #UKladybird #ladybird
August 25, 2025 at 8:35 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
I've twice caught November Moths where the tegumen was separate from the rest of the genitalia which consisted of a globular structure presumably consisting of malformed valvae and sacculus, with the loose aedeagus emerging through an opening. Here's an Elachista atricomella with similar deformity.
Elachista atricomella (Cock's-foot Miner) caught in my garden in May. At least I'm pretty sure that's what it is - the genitalia being abnormal were of limited help. A dark blackish-brown moth with a broken white fascia at one third and a broad irregular fascia at about three quarters. Malformed genitalia of the Elachista atricomella. The structure at the top is the tegumen and uncus. The aedeagus (with a single large cornutus and more curved than normal) protudes at the bottom. To the sides are rounded structures that were globular in shape and presumably include malformed valvae and probably also the saccus. This is quite similar to two November Moths (Epirrita dilutata) that I have examined previously (although the valvae globes were more united as a single irregular globe in those). A close-up of the same genitalia excluding the tegumen and uncus and taken from the other side after turning the prep over.
August 18, 2025 at 8:39 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
Yesterday I found this Figwort Sawfly (Tenthredo scrophulariae) in my garden in a pheremone lure trap that hadn't been set. A decade and a day previously I'd found a larva on my garden Buddleia.

It must have been a good day for them as a friend in Sandwich had one for the first time too.
Figwort Sawfly (Tenthredo scrophulariae), dorsal view. A black and yellow wasp-like insect. The body is black with neat yellow bars along its abdomen and ytellow sots on the thorax. The antennae and legs are orange, except for black femora. The wings have an orange leading edge and a smoky suffusion near the apex. Figwort Sawfly (Tenthredo scrophulariae), side view. #sawflies #sawfly Figwort Sawfly (Tenthredo scrophulariae), another dorsal view. #UKinverts Figwort Sawfly (Tenthredo scrophulariae) caterpillar. This larva from 6th August 2015 is whitish grey with a grey head and covered in black spots.
August 8, 2025 at 10:41 AM
applewildlife.bsky.social
I've been processing some of my finds from early-mid May and here are four of the highlights from fieldwork. They're not all rare, but were all new to me: Phratora laticollis, Elachista adscitella (Oblique-barred Grass-miner), Gyrohypnus angustatus and Lilioceris lilii (Lily Beetle). #NorfolkMoths
The Chrysomelid leaf beetle Phratora laticollis, potted off poplar. A blackish beetle with a blue-green metallic sheen and rows of punctures along its wing cases. #UKBeetles Elachista adscitella (Oblique-barred Grass-miner), netted in flight while doing a bird survey. The only previous records of this species in Norfolk involved larval leaf-mines at one site in July 2021. A dark grey moth with an off-white bar right across the middle. The frons is also creamy-white as is a line of cilia at the apex of the wing. These characters in combination pointed to adscitella but to be completely sure the genitalia were checked. #TeamMoth The rove beetle Gyrohypnus angustatus, found in a pitfall trap. A long narrow beetle that's very dark-coloured. It looks a lot like some of the Xantholinus species but the rear of the head is more angular. #UKinverts Lilioceris lilii (Lily Beetle, also known as Scarlet Lily Beetle). This was swept from vegetation which as far as I am aware did not include any lilies - indeed I'm not aware of any lilies (other than water lilies) growing at this site. A bright red beetle with black head, black antennae and black legs.
August 8, 2025 at 10:07 AM