Today, I let myself down.
I let my friends down.
I let my family down.
And I let Alfred Russel Wallace down.
I wasn’t sure what to write about. I can’t write about the solstice on this day each year. On second thoughts, why not? You could write about it every day for the rest of your life and still have a new thought every day.
I could write about Venus and Pollux in close proximity during the night of the day with longest daylight hours.
But I was thinking about this lovely beetle chart from the Wildlife Trust
And then this morning, in the office, I had this little visitor.
Did Alffi bring him in – did he find a little gateway to this arid land?
Neidr gantroed – brown centipede.
And when I put him out, I thought, “Yes, today’s all about coleoptera” (I’ve been banging on about birds and flowers enough to have a 24 hour break)
And then I found this little chap.
And this is where I let myself down. What sort of picture is that? How on earth can anyone identify this?
It’s just not good enough!
Ok – I didn’t pin him on a board and take a magnifying glass to make sure that everything was identifiable.
And at least he or she is still wandering happily around the garden.
But what if it’s a strawberry beetle?
Or one of the capsid bugs?
Why do I know the name of every specimen of ‘beatle’ and hardle any of the genus ‘beetle’?
Simply not good enough.
Next time, I will be a better naturalist.
What’s in a name?
Everything Mr McCartney, Mr Harrison, Mr Lennon and Mr Starr.
Ioan Hefin 
