FROM AMY CRAWFORD - A BUGBYTES NEWSLETTER

BugBytes Image - Pale Brindled Beauty (Phigalia pilosaria) © Patrick Clement (Flickr, CC BY 2.0) Dear John Welcome to the February edition of Buglife's e-newsletter, BugBytes! Keeping you up to date with invertebrate news, interesting snippets of information and so much more. This month, we bring you an exclusive reveal of the All Aboard the B-Line Competition Winners and Runner Ups, articles on light pollution and the threat that algae poses to our freshwater systems, as well as some new listening material for our green fingered readers. We hope you enjoy, thank you for your ongoing interest and support of our work! Invertebrate of the Year is back! The Guardian’s Invertebrate of the Year competition was set-up to celebrate and raise awareness for the unsung heroes of our planet – invertebrates! We’ve joined The Guardian in spotlighting some of the overlooked groups and the threats that they face, like light pollution. Light pollution is one of the only remaining ‘acceptable pollutions’, yet it has devasting consequences on invertebrates, other wildlife and even people. Read more... Light pollution - guardian article Last year, the resounding winner of the Invertebrate of the Year competition (with 38% of the popular vote) was the Common Earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) – an integral composter and soil-maker. Which invertebrate will take the crown this year? There is still time to vote! The competition closes on Monday 3 March. Vote Now! Speaking of light, have you pledged to keep it inside? Bright artificial lights in urban settings and coastal areas can be harmful for terrestrial and aquatic organisms alike. Every time we turn on a light, we risk polluting the natural world. But what if helping to protect nature was as simple as drawing the curtains/lowering a blind? Help us reduce light pollution by supporting our campaign, ‘Curtains for Light Pollution’ and by doing your bit to keep inside light 'inside’ for invertebrates. Make Your Pledge Curtains for Light Pollution All Aboard the B-Line At the beginning of the year, our Get London Buzzing project held an art competition aimed at the young people of London. Entrants were asked to create a poster inspired by pollinators and Buglife’s B-Lines – our unique solution to the problem of the loss of flowers and pollinators. With over 60 entries from young people across the capital city, our judging panel had the hard task of choosing a winner and runner up for each of the age categories. We are delighted to share the winners and runners up with you: AATB Winners_Runner Ups (1) For the last two years, the Get London Buzzing project has connected with local communities, schools and businesses to champion pollinators, raise awareness of the threats that they face, and educate people on how they can help them. The posters are being showcased until the Monday 3 March. We hope that people commuting, travelling or exploring via the London Underground will take a moment to enjoy the artwork and learn more about pollinators and explore the easy actions that they can take to help and protect pollinators. Visit the project page to learn more... All Aboard the B-Line artwork All Aboard the B-Line posters spotted whilst travelling through the London Underground © David Smith Have you come across algae blooms on your winter walks? Join Buglife Conservation Director, Craig Macadam, in this reflection on the devastating consequences and realities that algae blooms have on our freshwater systems. Read more... Algae blog The Happy Garden Podcast If you listen to the Happy Garden Podcast , you may have heard Buglife’s Director of Fundraising and Communications, Paul Hetherington, monthly invertebrate updates. In one of their latest episodes, Paul shared which invertebrates you are likely to see in your garden at this time of year. Have a listen, or listen again (listening time 01:12:00-01:20:10) and find out which visitors to expect. Listen Here Upcoming Events Monday 3 March ~ Insect Dogfights: how Aerial Combat Shapes the Patterns of Insect Flight with The Biological Recording Company (Online) Wednesday 5 March ~ Dragonflies of the UK Part 2 with The Biological Recording Company (Online) Thursday 6 March ~ Managing Green Spaces in B-Lines for Pollinators in Scotland (Online) Tuesday 11 March ~ Species on the Edge: Winter Talk Series: Leaf beetles with Suzanne Burgess (Online) Wednesday 12 March ~ Walk the Wick! (Canvey Wick, Essex) Monday 24 March ~ Earthworm Watch: Insights Into Urban Earthworm Communities with The Biological Recording Company (Online) Tuesday 25 March ~ Crayfish 2: Undertaking Your Survey with The Biological Recording Company (Online) Wednesday 26 March ~ Walk the Wick! (Canvey Wick, Essex) Thursday 27 March ~ Managing Green Spaces in B-Lines for Pollinators in Northern Ireland (Online) Saturday 29 March ~ Invertebrate Field Recorder Day with the Biological Recording Company (Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London) Tuesday 3 April ~ Species Reintroduction – It’s Not Just Beavers with FarmED (Honeydale Farm, Chipping Norton) Keep up to date with both current and future Buglife events, as well as events from partners and supporters by visiting the Events Page on our website. News in Brief Partnership helps restore networks for nature – and you can see the signs A partnership to create networks for nature has restored eight flower-rich meadow habitats around Telford and Wrekin, with signs explaining some of the species that can be found there. Find out more... Conservation charities hail recommendation to save Middlewick Ranges Wildlife charities have welcomed a report from Colchester City Council that would secure the future of the nationally important Middlewick Ranges wildlife site by saving it from the threat of housing. In a critical week for the future of Middlewick’s threatened species, the Council has recommended remove the nature haven from its Local Plan. This has led to charities and local community groups urging councillors to support the move- and back a newly presented Vision for a Middlewick Ranges Nature Reserve. Find out more.. Buglife Shop The Buglife shop is open for all your invertebrate needs, offering more ethical options and ways to support bugs. We have a brand new catalogue for you to browse through! From t-shirts to bug hotels, there is something for everyone. So, whether you've got 'Ants in your Pants' or your 'Going At a Snails Pace', by visiting our shop you'll help bugs in the process! Shop Banner-R Shop Now And Finally... Don't forget you can stay up to date with the work of the Buglife team via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube ! Thank you for your continued interest in and support of our work; together we can save the small things that run the planet! Join Buglife Unsubscribe Company No. 4132695 | Registered Charity No. 1092293 | Scottish Charity No.SC040004 Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust is a company limited by guarantee Registered in England at G.06, Allia Future Business Centre, London Road, Peterborough, PE2 8AN FR