Cambridge Natural History Society

18/06/2026

FIELD STUDIES WITH JONATHAN SHANKLIN
Our next field studies visit to the Grantchester Meadows area is on Wednesday, June 24. The field studies aim to record the wildlife of an area of Cambridge during a year and introduce participants to it. This year our monthly visits concentrate on the corridor along the River Cam between Newnham and Grantchester. We’ll continue with alternating where we start, so will return to Grantchester church, meeting at 6:30pm.
After exploring the churchyard we will head northwards on permissive footpaths if there is time. The focus of this visit will be on summer flowers, with other wildlife recorded on a casual basis. There are still over 250 species not recorded since our previous field studies visits in 2016 and we may well find new species too. We’ll aim to make digital records as we go, but to an extent this will be weather dependent.
Suitable for beginners to experts, all welcome.

Volume 68 of Nature in Cambridgeshire is on track for publication in July. See https://www.natureincambridgeshire.org.uk/issues.htm for contents of past issues or to purchase copies to read. Issues before 2023 are freely available as pdf. Articles for issue 69, which could cover any aspect of natural history in Cambridgeshire would be welcome.
See https://www.natureincambridgeshire.org.uk/guidance.htm for author guidance. The deadline for submission is the end of March.

Cambridge Nature Festival runs until 30 June. There are bioblitzes, bat safaris, pond dipping, expert talks, workshops, art, film and other events celebrating Nature on our doorstep. Many events are free or low-cost. See https://cambridgenaturenetwork.org/naturefestival/

For events further in the future, including the autumn talks programme see https://www.cnhs.org.uk/diary-of-events-2026/

DIARY OF EVENTS 2026 This listing has been compiled from a variety of sources. As there may be last-minute changes, checking with the organisers is recommended. There are links where appropriate with the event and in the list of organisations at the end of the diary. These usually open in a new tab....

17/06/2026

A male Broad-bordered yellow underwing (Noctua finbriata) hardening his wings off this afternoon in Cambridge. These photos are between 1-4pm and he left sometime after 4pm today. This moth shows sexual dimorphism as the females are a pale orangy/creamy buff whilst the males are brown.

10/06/2026

FIELD STUDY NEWS FROM JONATHAN SHANKLIN
On Tuesday, June 16 we are paying a visit to Coton Countryside Reserve https://cambridgeppf.org/coton-nature-reserve/ , run by CPPF https://cambridgeppf.org/. The intention is to look at some of the land that is being converted from farmland to nature reserve as part of their wider vision for the area.
Meet at 6:30pm at Wheatcases Barn TL413577, which is on Grantchester Road west of the M11. There is parking for cars and bikes, but motorists should note that there have been thefts from cars. For cyclists take the Coton Footpath over the M11 and then take the concrete farm track on the left. See the visitor maphttps://cambridgeppf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/coton_countryside_reserve_map.pdf
for details of the route.

For events further in the future see
https://www.cnhs.org.uk/diary-of-events-2026/

29/05/2026

2026 is a Painted Lady year. Every 10 years or so the UK gets a mass migration where millions of these butterflies move northwards - in 2019 an estimated 11 million migrated to the UK. There is a spring migration from tropical Africa to the Arctic circle each year although this is completed over (approx.) 6-10 generations. In the autumn they travel back to Africa at high altitude to repeat the cycle again.

22/05/2026

FIELD STUDIES WITH JONATHAN SHANKLIN
Our next field studies visit to the Grantchester Meadows area is on Wednesday, May 27. The field studies aim to record the wildlife of an area of Cambridge during a year and introduce participants to it. The focus of this visit will be on grasses and sedges, with other wildlife recorded on a casual basis. This year our monthly visits concentrate on the corridor along the River Cam between Newnham and Grantchester. This time we’ll start at Newnham, meeting at the western end (TL440570) of Grantchester Meadows (the road) at 6:30pm. We’ll explore two meadows that form a county wildlife site. We’ll aim to make digital records as we go, but this is likely to be weather dependent. Suitable for beginners to experts, all welcome.

Cambridge Nature Festival runs from 23rd May to 30 June 2026. They offer five weeks of bioblitzes, bat safaris, pond dipping, expert talks, workshops, art, film and other events celebrating Nature on our doorstep. Many events are free or low-cost. We won’t advertise them all, so see https://cambridgenaturenetwork.org/naturefestival/

One we have been asked to advertise is from the University Library.
Later this month and in June they are hosting two screenings of art films inspired by rivers. They are being hosted as part of the Cambridge Nature Festival and in relation to the University Library's current exhibition, Living Water: Poetry, Art, and the Fight for Clean Rivers.
See the web sites for more details.

For events further in the future see
https://www.cnhs.org.uk/diary-of-events-2026/

DIARY OF EVENTS 2026 This listing has been compiled from a variety of sources. As there may be last-minute changes, checking with the organisers is recommended. There are links where appropriate with the event and in the list of organisations at the end of the diary. These usually open in a new tab....

22/05/2026

More pictures from Strawberry Hill NR last weekend. Despite the cool and cloudy day we saw some interesting lepidoptera and other insects.

20/05/2026

World Bee Day. Here are some bumblebees making good use of a poppy in Cambridge today.

18/05/2026

A quick visit to Strawberry Hill NR yesterday and it was worth the trip. Despite the cool weather there were lots of Nightingales and other birds singing. We also spotted an abundance of caterpillars, including a tree with the uncommon Blossom underwing moth caterpillars and their webs.

18/05/2026