Western conifer seed bug

Ben found this very handsome western conifer seed bug Leptoglossus occidentalis in the bathroom. It's a relatively serious pest of conifer seed nurseries, particularly Douglas-fir,in southern Canada and the USA. It first arrived in Britain in 2008 and now seems to be firmly established, at least in the south. In Europe, there have been no reports so far of severe damage to conifer seed orchards or in forests. However, most records have come from parks, gardens and buildings in towns and cities and it is too early to say, at the moment, what impact it might eventuallyhave on its host plants in the UK.

Most of the day seemed to be filled with shopping - food in the morning and rather unsuccessful clothes shopping in town in the afternoon. In the evening we went to a talk on bats organised by the local wildlife group. This was followed by a trip to the Rowing Lake to watch and listen to bats (numerous bat detectors and high-powered torches were provided). The weather was perfect, and the display of bats was stunning. Huge numbers of Daubenton's bats were swooping over the water and picking insects from the water's surface, while both common and soprano pipistrelles swooped around our heads. The sound of their echolocation calls was quite overwhelming. To top the evening off, we heard the slow 'toc, toc, toc' of a noctule flying over. Totally fantastic!