Help us record the insects of Tolworth Court Farm and explore how rewilding interventions are changing the entomological diversity on site.

Insects make up the vast majority of animal life on Earth, yet they remain one of the most overlooked and understudied aspects of biodiversity. To protect insects, we must first understand them, and to understand their distribution, seasonality, and ecological niches, we must record them. By generating insect records, we can understand which species are thriving, which are struggling, and how our green spaces can be better managed to support wildlife.

Our Entomology Field Recorder Days are a chance to put this theory into practice. On each day we bring together naturalists to informally survey a green space for insects and generate new biological records for the site. Specialist entomologists will be on hand to help with identification and share their knowledge, so whether you're just starting to notice insects or you've been recording for years, you'll be in good company. All records are submitted through iRecord, meaning our observations feed directly into national recording schemes and London's biological records database. So come and join us – we promise you'll learn something new and have a fun day out in the field at the same time!

What will the day involve?

Hands-on experience using different surveying methods to collect and record insects

Guidance on identifying insect species in the field where possible

Support for using iRecord to submit biological records

A chance to connect with like-minded individuals who share an interest in entomology and wildlife recording

What do I need to know in advance?

This event is for adults only (18+)

Attendance is free, but booking is essential as spaces are limited

Entomologists of all abilities are welcome

Species identification will take place in the field whenever possible, but some invertebrate specimens may need to be collected and preserved for accurate identification under a microscope at a later date

Please bring suitable clothing for the weather – we'll be outside all day

Please bring food for the day with you (i.e. lunch)

All records generated will be added to iRecord in order to share our findings with the site managers, Greenspace Information for Greater London (GiGL) and relevant national recording schemes and societies.

Check out our ‘Info for Field Recorder Day Attendees’ website page for more info (including instructions for setting up on iRecord): https://biologicalrecording.co.uk/info-for-field-recorder-day-attendees/ (https://biologicalrecording.co.uk/info-for-field-recorder-day-attendees/)

Entomology Specialist: Martin Harvey

This Entomology Field Recorder Day will be led by Martin Harvey. Martin Harvey is a knowledgeable entomologist and experienced biological recorder, whose many contributions to biological recording in the UK include running the national Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme, standing as County Moth Recorder for Berkshire, and helping coordinate the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme. His interests span across entomology widely, and though he has a particular focus on the orders Diptera (flies) and Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), he has recorded over 6,000 species total in the UK in his life, across all taxonomic groups. In his professional life, Martin works as the Data Management and Liaison Officer at the Biological Records Centre (part of the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology), among his responsibilities being the management of the iRecord online recording system, liaison with national recording schemes and societies, and management of the invertebrate assemblage analysis tool Pantheon.

Tolworth Court Farm (Kingston)

Tolworth Court Farm is a large (50 ha) urban nature reserve located along the Hogsmill River in Kingston. Since 2022 the site has been under a rewilding management programme – the Wild Tolworth project – which aims to improve the quality of the site for wildlife. Ongoing monitoring on the site has revealed a high diversity of species including rare and protected invertebrates like the Brown Hairstreak butterfly and the planthopper Ribautodelphax imitans. Following a range of invertebrate-focused events in 2022 with the FSC BioLinks project, we’re revisiting the site to record the wildlife and continue to build the species list.

This event is delivered by the Biological Recording Company in partnership with Citizen Zoo and Kingston Council as part of the Wild Tolworth project (supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund).

Description supplied by the event organiser.