We hope you find it interesting and stimulating, and hope you will join the Association and swell the numbers of Britain’s Naturalists.

Join the BNA the national body for naturalists, founded in 1905, and extend your interest in the British countryside by taking part in a wide range of activities together with fellow enthusiasts of all ages. With the help of our experts, you will be able to learn more about our native flora and fauna and develop an in-depth understanding of how our natural world develops and changes increasingly important in view of the changes in our climate.

At national level, the BNA organises lectures and exhibitions, publishes Country-Side, British Naturalist, the BNA website and the BNA holds occasional conferences and Field Trips at a different location each year.

JOIN NOW!

Support the BNA by donating via this link>>Donate here

or scan this QR code

National Encaenia and Natural History Day
Saturday 13th September 2025
in the Flett Theatre at the Natural History Museum, London

2024 Encaenia photo: L. Artindale

The day will include tours of the museum and off show areas, talks from Professor Alastair Fitter and Dr. Erica McAlister
and the Encaenia presentation for new graded members and the 2025 awards.
This is a free “ticket only” event, and is open to members and their guests.

Contact Pauline for tickets and further information – webmaster.bnanaturalists@gmail.com

What to look for in August from the BNA

By D. Farrar

It’s always worth visiting nature reserves or parks and gardens this month, as hedgerows, ponds and flowers are alive with insect activity. You don’t have to look too hard before you find insects either fluttering around, feeding or just resting in the sunshine.

Footballer Hoverfly – Helophilus pendulus – Due to having a striped thorax, this hoverfly is commonly known as ‘The Footballer’.  Their black and gold colours shine in the sun and they can be found in hedgerows feeding on blackberries or nectar and pollen of flowers.

Brown Hawker – Aeshna grandis. Female Brown Hawker dragonflies are mostly chocolatey-brown with yellow markings on the sides of the abdomen. They have brown wings and large brownish/yellow eyes. At this time of year, they could be spotted laying their eggs in still water of ponds or slow flowing rivers, maybe on vegetation or rotting wood.

Roesel’s Bush Cricket – Metrioptera roeselii band. If you hear a monotonous, mechanical buzzing sound in the grass or hedgerow, it could be that of this attractive bush-cricket. They are around 2cm long with either dark brown or green body and green face. There’s a distinctive creamy coloured edge to the pronotum.

Thick-headed Fly – Sicus ferrugineus. These interesting looking flies can be found anywhere with bumbleees, including our own gardens. The body is mostly reddish-brown, the head is quite large with a yellow face and big brown eyes. When at rest the abdomen is usually folded forward underneath the body.

Check out our Wild News page here>> Wild News to see how wildlife, conservation and the environment are coping with the changing climate.

Latest news includes Seahorses, Bumble bees and 2025 Butterfly Count

Seven celestial events to look out for in 2025

credit : Nicole Avagliano

Find out what you can view near you>>celestial events 2025