Beds BioNews has merged with The Muntjac, the newsletter of the Bedfordshire Natural History Society! The 'new' Muntjac includes the regular BioNews features along with great articles by local naturalists. What this means is that we can bring you lots more information on Bedfordshire's wildlife - do check it out on the BNHS website!

Are you an educator looking for places to get students exploring and working with nature? The Bedfordshire and Luton Environmental Education Working Group has compiled a directory of organisations offering environmental education opportunities in our county. Check it out to find out where and what kinds of facilities and services are available!

The Nude Ewe project is selling wool spun from Bedfordshire's own conservation grazing flocks. Proceeds are all returned to the flocks working to keep our countryside beautiful.

By munching the bramble, shrubs and other rough vegetation, grazing flocks maintain our meadow and heathland habitats. Without these natural lawnmowers our beautiful grassy hills and fields would turn to scrub.

So support our meadows: visit The Nude Ewe website and knit up your own piece of Bedfordshire!

National Moth Night is the perfect time to introduce you to one of our common but overlooked species: the lunar underwing. This species is in the family of Noctuidae, or Owlet Moths. There are over 35,000 species of Noctuids, which is the largest of the butterfly and moth families.

At first glance the lunar underwing appears drab. But a closer look at its wings reveals a complex and beautiful pattern of browns and creams. The species is highly variable: most are quite pale and buffy, while some are very dark. The wings are distinctly veined, although this is better seen on dark individuals. The lunar underwing is a medium sized moth, with a wingspan between 32-38 mm.

The moth gets its name from the pattern on its hindwings. These are whitish with a pattern said to resemble a lunar landscape. We're not sure about this but we'll let you be the judge!

The lunar underwing ranges over western Europe and Scandinavia. The adults appear in Britain between August and October. Like many of our familiar moths it flies at night, and is attracted to light. It is also attracted to flowers, although the larva feeds on grasses. It overwinters as a larva.

Photos: top © http://home.tiscali.be/entomart.ins;

middle and bottom: Graham Gavaghan

'bio' = 'life'

'diversity' = 'variety'

So biodiversity = the variety of life on earth: all the different species, habitats, ecosystems and genes that make up the natural world. Every creature - including humans - depends on others for survival. That's why biodiversity is so important!

To find out more check out the DaVersity Code and watch Robert Penguin and Sophie Minnow try to solve a murder at the Natural History Museum!

What does this mean? It means that we - along with hundreds of agencies in Europe and around the world - are working hard to conserve and enhance our local habitats and species. It's a big job and we can't do it alone. Find out what you can do to help us out!