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.

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

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Beth Chatto Gardens credit: Dr C. Gibson

BNA National Symposium at Beth Chatto’s Gardens
16th and 17th August 2025

This will include bat detecting, pond dipping, 3 illustrated talks from
Professor Ted Benton, Dr Tim Gardiner and Roger Tabor, two guided garden walks
and buffets both days.

Tickets are available for BNA Members and guests at £25 each, and for BNA Students and Young Naturalists at £15 each

Please Note: bookings will end on 1st August

They are on sale now from this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/beth-chatto-event-16th-17th-august-tickets-1333017865319?aff=oddtdtcreator

Please contact Webmaster – webmaster.bnanaturalists@gmail.com for further information.

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