Sunday at Bill's Mother's: 19th July 2026
Bugs and Buggies issue. Smartphone insects with Ros Hancock plus Muddy Mother on how to run with toddlers.
Morning. A later than usual edition today (sorry) after returning from running along the Cotswolds with my veteran trail exploring mates last night. (We call it running, although in my case there was a lot of stumbling, gasping and walking up every hill.)
We have a picture issue today, thanks to local photographer Ros Hancock, who tells us how she takes amazing pictures of summer insects using her smartphone. And we have the return of Muddy Mother, with her own parental running tips.
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Phone Bugs
Hot days are generally good for insects and invertebrates, but without stopping to look, some of the city’s spectacular tiny beasts are easy to miss. I was once told by ace local wildlife photographer Zafar Ali that the best camera is the one you have with you at the time, and Ros has shown how a fairly simple smartphone can produce amazing photographs.
She’s sent a few over, so let us know what you think in the comments - and do give us any other smartphone wildlife photography tips too.
Why I Like Insects (& Other Invertebrates!) - by Ros Hancok
I used to be quite a keen photographer, taking mainly what my then boyfriend called arty-farty shots, like moody derelict buildings.
When I started having wildlife holidays, I switched to wildlife photography, but I have mild arthritis in my wrist and found it difficult to hold a digital SLR with a telephoto lens. Then, a few years ago, I got a smart phone with a decent camera, and I got the bug for bugs. And, you know, there’s an awful lot of them! My insect field guide covers 1,653 species, but the other day I found a plant bug in my garden that isn’t even in the book. There are over 270 species of bee in the British Isles.
People sometimes ask me how I see so many insects, but it’s just a case of walking slowly and looking. If I notice something flying, I’ll watch to see where it lands. If I see a movement or hear a sound, I’ll stand still and wait in case something comes into view.
And I look at the vegetation I’m walking past – flowers often have insects feeding on them, leaves often have things resting on them. This all works better if I’m alone (it would drive most of my friends mad if I did this when I’m with them!).
I post photos to the Friends of Ecclesall Woods and Friends of the Porter Valley Facebook groups, and I recently did a bug hunt for FoPV because I like to show people the beautiful and fascinating things around us that most don’t notice.
And I like to point out the interconnectivity: you can’t have Swifts screaming overhead if there are no flying insects. You can’t have Blue Tits in your garden if there are no caterpillars to feed their young. You can’t have Peacock butterflies if there are no nettles for the caterpillars. A garden with nectar and pollen rich flowers is great for bees, but they also need places to nest.
I sometimes record things on iRecord, and I should do more, but I find it a bit time-consuming and it could be months before anyone confirms (or not) your identification.
(Note - we also recommend iNaturalist which can bring quicker responses)
The records are checked by experts and then they’re available to everyone. Hoverfly photos I post on the UK hoverfly recording group’s Facebook group. It’s a particularly friendly group; the experts respond very quickly and they always thank you for posting.
It seems to me that, over the last few years, each year has been a bit worse in terms of numbers of insects. By all accounts, insect numbers keep falling year on year. For me, this year started badly but picked up in June, and I’m seeing quite a lot, including species I haven’t seen before.
To take the pictures, I’ve just got a Google Pixel 6a phone, nothing special, with a close-up rather than macro lens. I did have a clip-on “macro” lens for the phone, but I didn’t think it was that good.
Of course, with my pictures here, you’re only seeing the things that didn’t fly, or scuttle, away! I usually start taking shots when I’m a distance away, in case the subject moves, and move forward slowly taking more shots. That’s the advantage of digital photography, you can take 100 shots and bin 99 of them. I usually try to get shots of the top and side of the insect first, and then try from the front, as that’s most likely to scare them away.
Muddy Mother - Baby Steps
Muddy Mother also writes the Our Storeys Substack about home interiors and building a house while raising babies.
Parents as a species are famously well practiced at being on their feet all day. Turning those upstanding hours into fast-paced movements is an entirely different kettle of fish, however. Suddenly time constraints, attire, and childcare all need to come into the equation when a parent decides to convert their standing time into running time.
Despite the logistics, there are many ways you can make your desire for exercise into a reality.
The first is to tackle the issue of childcare. The best answer is to take them with you by utilising a running or off-roader buggy. We’ve used one of these for both our kids, after they reached the slightly more robust age of around 9-12 months old. We find them much more versatile as they can be used for both running as well as regular-paced activities, fold down very easily, are fairly light, and adjust for sleep too. Double bonus if you finish your run, your baby is asleep, and you can celebrate with coffee and cake in peace.
If you have two children, consider investing in a double buggy to contain both kids as you run to the coffee shop.
Alternatively, if your bigger one is around three or older take a balance or pedal bike with you and push your little in the buggy, as your big cycles alongside you. It’s crucial here not to go for any personal bests, but instead, a casual, slow-paced run through the park. Once they reach four, you could even do some short runs with your big ones, if you think you could keep up with them.
My four-year-old completed his first Junior parkrun last weekend and I couldn’t have been prouder. There was a small interlude of piggybacking from his dad, but he ran all the rest of the way and indeed put my poor running efforts of late to shame.
Junior parkrun is 2km long, so if you are just dipping your toe back into running waters, running alongside your child is an excellent way to get started again slowly, under the guise of supporting your small human.
In my view, you don’t need to own any special fancy outfits to go running with your kids. I’ve used my regular, everyday trainers for running probably more than I’ve used running trainers. If you’ve got your kids in tow, the likelihood is, you won’t be going far or fast enough to warrant trail shoes and running headbands.
The important thing is to get out there and move, and show your kids that you’re getting out there and moving. The best way to keep our kids fit and healthy is to show ourselves the same kindness, because it is true that they really are watching everything we do.
If you do find yourself running far and fast with the kids in tow, then give yourself a pat on the back and perhaps you can justify investing in a more substantial running kit.
Time constraints are probably the thing we as parents struggle with the most, myself included. But if you commit to taking the kids with you on your runs, that immediately makes the time more manageable.
Factor in a run to something you might be doing with them anyway. If you’re planning a park or library trip, why not run there? You can get the bus back if it’s too far to run both directions, and that’s another exciting adventure for the kids too.
If you need a few bits from the shop, run there and relish the additional strength training on the way back. Run to the coffee shop for a babyccino and a croissant. The possibilities are endless.
It doesn’t matter how far you go or how fast you get there, little and often will build habits in yourself that’ll make you feel fitter and more energised for parenting your little ones the rest of the day.
Joining in with exercise will create happy little runners in your home, and if they’re excited to exercise, it’ll naturally encourage you to keep up with it too. You are your children’s biggest supporter, and you might just find that they’re yours too.
Some of my favourite running with the kids spots include:
Bingham Park (also good if you’re taking a bike and bonus points for Motore Café)
Monsal trail (also good for the bike and nice and flat)
Any of the parkrun or junior parkrun locations. (See below)
To the local coffee shop
Wharncliffe Woods (huge, woody and hilly)
Sheffield’s Junior parkruns:
Olympic Legacy Park (Attercliffe)
We also hear Dronfield Running Club are accelerating their campaign for a new junior parkrun in Dronfield
Very Brief News & Reminders
The South Yorkshire Nature Recovery consultations continue until 31st July, or you can join consultation events there’s Pollen Market today (Sunday 19th July) & Shire Brook Valley Nature Reserve on Tuesday 21st July
This year’s Shire Brook Valley annual BioBlitz event is on Tuesday 21st from 7.30am – 3.30pm, open to all, with moth watching, bird spotting, sweep netting, craft events and lots more.
More What’s On Out There (from Sunday 19th July)
A tiny selection from our (regularly updated) What’s On Out There news and listings post. Full version for full members, preview (& this week) for all at the link above.
Sun 19th - SRWT Guided Walk - Ughill Farm
Mon 20th - Friends of Whirlow Brook Park - Volunteer session
Tues 21st - Community Bioblitz at Shire Brook Valley
Tues 21st - Sheffield CTC cycle rides - Grouse Inn
Tues 21st - Sheffield Ramblers Walks - Steel Cotton Trail, New Mills to Romiley (7.5m)
Weds 22nd - Sheffield Grand Prix - city centre cycling
Thurs 23rd - Green City Action Grimesthorpe community allotment
Fri 24th - CycleBoost cycle training - women’s confidence & improvers, Endcliffe Park
Sat 25th - Parkwood Springs conservation morning
Thanks to over 340 of you signing up as full supporters, our next target of 350 full paying subscribers is now very very close. At that point we’ll be in a financial position to launch our new Commoner’s Muck section about the city’s hundreds of voluntary groups and the wild places they look after for us.
So if you’ve enjoyed this issue, it really would make my day if you could join us for less than the cost of a pint of beer a month. Thanks for reading.
I agree that finding insects is much harder than it used to be. My daughter and I drove out to Rowsley the other day and commented on the fact that we used to have to get a bucket out to wash insects off the windscreen, even after short journeys. Now it's just dust!