I was trying to photograph these absolutely TINY mushrooms on the walk home from school... then realised they were covered in even tinier little creatures! 😮 But what ARE they?! The closest I can find is maybe a type of eupodid mite, but if anyone knows more please let me know! 🤔

Squirrel having a good gnaw on a lovely tasty... jawbone! In my garden this morning 😳😬😮

Might be getting a bit obsessed with gall wasps! Look how these have created green 'islands' on an autumnal leaf - likely to be caused by chemicals that keep the leaf green so the larva can feed for longer. Not only that - it may actually be caused by symbiotic bacteria living with the larva!

No one's happier than a naturalist who has, in a 5-minute walk, found two new gall wasp species, two more sputnik spider egg sacs and an oak tree that has been utterly spangle galled! (Spangled? Spanglified?!) 😁🤣

Teeny tiny spider egg sac on an oak leaf today, courtesy of the sputnik spider! I love finding the little things 😁🕷

It's the week of the gatekeeper butterfly here - every ragwort and bramble patch I went past on a walk today looked like this. There must have been hundreds if not thousands across my whole walk! 😮😊 (Ringlets too on this one!)

#forestofdean #forestofdeanwildlife #butterflies #butterfliesuk

Wondering if "we were busy marvelling at the contents of our moth trap" would be accepted as a valid reason for the kids to be late to school? 🤔🫣😅

#moths #mothsuk #gardenwildlife #kidsandnature #mothtrapping #mothtrappinguk

A new garden species for me this evening, long-winged conehead!

#bushcricket #forestofdean #orthoptera #longwingedconehead #gardenwildlife

Who needs some cute baby wild boar for a Friday evening? You're welcome 😁🐗

Since having both kids at school I finally have the brain space (or at least a bit of it 🤪) to learn more wildlife ID again. And it's like my brain can't get enough - I want to learn EVERYTHING 😆 Currently learning grasshoppers & crickets - at least 5 species on a walk today! (Not all pictured...)

A first for me to day - large blue butterfly! 🦋 Previously extinct in Britain but now reintroduced to a few special sites

Nightjar watching in the Forest of Dean last night! 😁

In the last two days I've seen lots of wasps busy chewing up wood to make their nests. Couldn't quite capture it in this video, but they're surprisingly loud!

Our garden is full of wildflowers at the moment. But possibly the most popular nectar source for dozens of hoverflies and bumblebees? The humble ribwort plantain! It's not particularly pretty, or showy, but they're loving it!

After a near total lack of insects last year, they're finally having a good year - including LOTS of aphids. And aphids give an opportunity for aphids predators. My son found a nettle patch yesterday covered in more 7-spot ladybirds (+ larvae of other species) than I think I've seen ever! 😮🐞

I've been looking for adders for WEEKS and finally the weather was just right today for not one but two - this male was guarding a female but while she slunk away he decided basking (and posing for photos) was the better option 😁🐍

Heading over here from Twitter (I refuse to use its stupid name...) in the hope it's better here and I can refind a nice nature-loving community again! 🤞