Hummingbird hawk moths boom in West Midlands as species push north — SkimNews
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- Hummingbird hawk moths had a "record year" for sightings in the West Midlands in 2026, per Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust's James Benwell, with the moths migrating from southern Europe and north Africa.
- Wasp spiders, one of the UK's largest spider species, were recorded in Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Warwickshire — more than 100 miles north of their usual habitat.
- Ivy bees, first recorded in the UK in 2001 and in Stourbridge in 2015, are spreading north and now common on ivy flowers in the Midlands, where they can be found nesting in buildings.
- Clouded yellow butterflies, a European migratory species, could become permanent UK residents if temperatures keep rising, as most individuals currently cannot survive British winters.
- Hornet hoverflies, first recorded in Birmingham and the Black Country in 2004, are now "really common," their yellow markings mimicking a hornet despite an inability to sting.
- Rosemary Winnall of the Wyre Forest Study Group said recent regional arrivals include willow emerald damselfly, southern oak bush cricket, purple emperor butterfly, western conifer seed bug and box bug.
- Native species are meanwhile declining: the once-common small tortoiseshell butterfly is now rarely seen and two-spot ladybird records have fallen sharply.
Why it matters: Range shifts in insects are among the earliest measurable signals of climate change in Britain, with regional wildlife trusts now simultaneously tracking the arrival of species like the wasp spider over 100 miles north of their usual range and documenting once-common native insects — the small tortoiseshell and two-spot ladybird — as future rarities.
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