Open Air Labs (OPAL)

How useful is citizen science data for official government tree health monitoring? Find out in the latest paper from OPAL: mdpi.com/2075-4450/11/9/550 . #citsci #treehealth #biologicalrecording #data

Fascinating to see which insects visit which flowering blooms at this time of year. Honeybee on rosemary, thick legged flower beetle on buttercup and white tailed bumble on yellow rattle this week. #XPolli #gardenwildlife @msnewman1001 @EcologyAnnie @OU_STEM @LtL_News @UoABioSci

Happy to stumble across all kinds of ecological interactions going on here. This crab spider predating a honeybee while another collects pollen from this peony #XPolli #pollinators #honeybees #gardenwildlife #homelearning @msnewman1001 @EcologyAnnie @OU_STEM @LtL_News @UoABioSci

We found a fossil in the drive! We were digging a wildflower area for #pollinators and came across this Jurassic wonder. #XPolli #wildflowers #fossils #homelearning @msnewman1001 @EcologyAnnie @OU_STEM @LtL_News @UoABioSci

Homes for pollinators. We’ve seen some fantastic home made bee hotels. Can you spy any holes around your house that may be used by insects? #XPolli #pollinators #dragonflies #gardenwildlife #homelearning @msnewman1001 @EcologyAnnie @OU_STEM @LtL_News @UoABioSci

Who celebrated #worldbeeday yesterday? In our minds, every day should celebrate bees 🐝 Bumblebees pollinate many of our vegetables, fruits & legumes #XPolli #pollinators #bumblebees #gardenwildlife #homelearning @msnewman1001 @EcologyAnnie @OU_STEM @LtL_News @UoABioSci

Is it a butterfly? No it’s a day flying moth. The Six-spot Burnet on a scabious to be precise. They are the most common and widely distributed burnet in the UK. Have you seen one? #XPolli #pollinators #moths #homelearning @msnewman1001 @EcologyAnnie @OU_STEM @LtL_News @UoABioSci

If you have mastered the easier bumblebee IDs let’s move on to medium and hard levels bit.ly/BumbleID. The hard level covers 22 bumblebee species. You can even get a hint if you get stuck. #XPolli #homelearning @msnewman1001 @EcologyAnnie @OU_STEM @LtL_News @UoABioSci

I was delighted to see so many bees on our cotoneaster! Which plant in your garden/ on your local walk have you noticed attracts the most insects? #XPolli #pollinators #gardenwildlife #homelearning @msnewman1001 @EcologyAnnie @OU_STEM @LtL_News @UoABioSci

This tricksy bee has a fine dusting of pollen which makes identification just that little harder. This tool may help though: bit.ly/BumbleID #XPolli #pollinators #bumblebees #gardenwildlife #homelearning @msnewman1001 @EcologyAnnie @OU_STEM @LtL_News @UoABioSci

We love this bee hotel made by one school group in Hampshire before lockdown. 🏨 🐝 Have you created any homes for wildlife in your home? #XPolli #pollinators #beehotel #gardenwildlife #homelearning @msnewman1001 @EcologyAnnie @OU_STEM @LtL_News @UoABioSci

The UK has 59 species of butterflies. How many can you identify? Check out our online interactive tool bit.ly/BumbleID and see how many you can identify. Let us know in how you get on. #XPolli @msnewman1001 @EcologyAnnie @OU_STEM @LtL_News @UoABioSci

Did you know that supporting pollinators in your garden can also help attract dragonflies? They are predators of flying insects. How amazing is this broad bodied chaser?! #XPolli #pollinators #dragonflies #gardenwildlife #homelearning @msnewman1001 @EcologyAnnie @LtL_News

Leave some areas unmown and let the dandelions grow! Dandelions are a great food source for lots of pollinators including bumblebees, butterflies and hoverflies. Even better they flower early and have a long… instagram.com/p/B_68L1SDX2O/…

In my garden bumblebees favourite early spring flowering plant is a barberry bush. What plants do bumblebees love in your garden in spring? . . #XPolli #pollinators #bumblebees #gardenwildlife… instagram.com/p/B_1pMOhjExn/…

A few of our garden favourites for bees 🐝 We’ve seen quite a variety of bumbles and honeybees on our Rosemary, Lily of the valley, ceanothus, comfrey and barberry. To find out which plants are good for which bee… instagram.com/p/B_zpPXsDemq/…

Rainbows and fairy flowers! Finding a creative offering among the bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) was a thing of storybooks today. Did you know that some bees ‘steal’ the nectar from these violet flowers by… instagram.com/p/B_wbzzhDWQd/…

This red tailed beauty is Bombus lapidarius feeding on a thistle. Have you looked closely at the markings on bees to help you identify them? This is one of the more distinctive ones you may see buzzing past your… instagram.com/p/B_mfvmvDq3x/…

Bringing dime sunshine into your day wherever you are today ☀️ This magnificent meadow was created by St Albans school in Hampshire. Will nature have taken over your school grounds when you return? Why not get… instagram.com/p/B_j5pWhDHQn/…

Google’s animation is all about bees today 🐝 Check it out and discover more about pollinators here: bit.ly/X-Polli . . #XPolli #videogames #identification ltl_news instagram.com/p/B_R82_1DnkV/…