January 2024 - Spring Book Drop
Two new books are on their way!
A Year of Garden Bees & Bugs, published by Batsford, is released on 14th March.
An Identification Guide to Trees of Britain and North-West Europe, published by John Beaufoy, is released on 21st March.
August 2023 - Norfolk Wildlife Trust
I spent a glorious couple of days at NWT Clay at the end of summer, giving a workshop on macro photography, and a lunchtime talk on my 500 Species project. It was really interesting for me to relive those crazy months of 2018 - when I decided to learn all about entomology; the learning curve was almost vertical and I had know idea what it would lead to - I was just enjoying being out in nature! The workshop was a little windy and overcast, but nevertheless we found treasure - highlights were Bee-wolves and Pantaloon Bees out in the marsh.
July 2023 - GLOBAL BIRDFAIR
Back to Global Birdfair for my second year. This time I soaked up the buzz of the central podcast area, where Charlie Bingham hosted an amazing line up of hosts and guests, including Nick Patel, Lucy Hudson, Nick Baker, Vic Hillman, Casual Birders and many more. I gave a seminar on July insects, and joined in once again with Wildlife Gardeners' Question Time. Nick Baker and I displayed an almost psychic connection during the charades round of 'Birds v Bugs' on the main stage. Speaking of soaked, it was possibly the wettest Birdfair on record - it rained torrentially for much of the weekend between spells of blistering sunshine - glad I had my wellies, raincoat AND sunglasses!
February 2023
Into the Wild Podcast with Ryan Dalton
I had the absolute pleasure of spending a January evening chatting with Ryan about photography, insects and their extraordinary behaviour, and issues of inaccessibility in natural history photography for women and minority groups. Listen now on Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts!
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/into-the-wild/id1387887056?i=1000599253564
July 2022
GLOBAL BIRDFAIR
It was an amazing return for Birdfair, after a two year hiatus. With a new venue, the Rutland Showground, and a new name, Global Birdfair, Penny and Tim brought together old friends and new faces for a fantastic weekend of talks, workshops and a shared love of the natural world. Dominic Couzens, John Beaufoy and I were delighted to showcase 'An Identification Guide to Garden Insects' during the weekend. I hosted 'Insect Investigators' workshops for aspiring young entomologists and their families, gave a talk about the highlights of July bug-hunting, and was crowned the champion of 'The Twitch' - Birdsfair's answer to 'The Chase'!
June 2022
You can watch my webinar on the Tanyptera Project's YouTube page. During the 2020 lockdown the Tanyptera Project - part of National Museums Liverpool - began facilitating webinars on invertebrates and conservation to the public. Delivered by a wide range of incredible experts in their fields, the webinars opened up the world of entomology and and natural history to an audience that hitherto had found it difficult to travel to, or get time to, attend face-to-face sessions. I am utterly delighted and honoured to make a contribution to this amazing catalogue of knowledge with my own presentation. Click here, or simply watch the embedded video below.
May 2022
'Garden Insects' is on its way into the world!
It was great to get together with Dominic and John from John Beaufoy Publishing to sign advance copies of 'A Guide to Garden Insects'.
A HUGE thank you to all of you that have already bought the book! Pre-orders should be arriving through letter-boxes within the next couple of weeks!
Attracting Garden Pollinators by Jean Vernon
It's always great to see your photos in print, but I'm especially proud to have been involved in this fantastic new book by Jeanie. It's a real labour of love - Jeanie is so passionate about our pollinators and the need to support them. This book is an incredibly comprehensive guide to pollinator-friendly plants and micro-habitats, yet is also warm, personal and accessible for all. It's a glorious celebration of the wildlife on our doorsteps, and a must for everyone looking to learn how to make their gardens and outdoor spaces more wildlife-friendly. You can order it here.
Webinar - Wednesday 18th May
Join me for a webinar, hosted by the Tanyptera Project. Find out all about the insects in your gardens and outdoor spaces, what we can do to support them, and how climate change is changing what we see in our gardens. You can register here.
'Ants'
One of my photos of a Red Wood Ant (Formica rufa) can be seen here in the excellent book 'Ants' by Richard Jones, published by Bloomsbury in 2021. It is a fascinating insight into the lives of one of the most numerous animal groups on the planet.
Sneak Peek!
Here is a preview of the cover of my upcoming book, 'The Identification Guide to Garden Insects of Britain and North-west Europe' by Dominic Couzens & Gail Ashton.
Are you new to the world of insects? Would you like to get to know more about these beautiful and charismatic animals? Or do you have a young, budding entomologist in your family? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then this is the book for you! It's filled with clear, macro photos to help identification, as well as amazing facts and information about life-cycle, reproduction and habitat.
I hope you like reading it as much as I enjoyed making it!
COMING IN SPRING 2022!
I am delighted to announce that I am publishing my first book next year!
Published by John Beaufoy, The Identification Guide to Garden Insects of Britain and North-west Europe is a brand new field guide, written with the amazing Dominic Couzens and also features my photographs. The proofs are being finalised (right) as I write this. I cannot wait to see the finished book, and so can you in April!
Gardener's World - 2020
August 2020
During lockdown I made a short film about how I turned the square of lawn at the back of my house into a wildlife garden. I really enjoyed making it, as it highlights some of the extraordinary animals that have moved into my garden since I started work on it in 2017. Last week, excerpts of my film were featured on BBC Gardener's World.
August 2019
My photograph of a Gorse weevil caught in a spider web has been awarded 'Highly Commended in the 10th BWPA awards.
In the Summer of 2018 I was interviewed for Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust's magazine, 'Wildlife Matters'. I talked about my love of macro photography and invertebrates.
Published:
Feature editorial: 500 Species 2018; Hertfordshire Naturalist 2018, Hertfordshire Natural History Society
Feature editorial: 'My Wild Life'; Wildlife Matters, Summer 2018, Hertfordshire & Middlesex Wildlife Trust
Awards:
2019 Essex Wildlife Trust Photography Competition 'Highly Commended' - Mint-leaf beetle
Exhibitions:
Solo show featuring resident invertebrates of the forest; Hatfield Forest, 2018