Hidden Wings and Bloodlust

Hidden Wings and Bloodlust

A podcast dedicated to ladybirds

Episodes

December 5, 2025 64 mins

I talk to Ben Knowlton from There Will Be Bugs about metamorphosis including holometabolous vs hemimetabolous, imaginal discs, whether an insect really does turn to liquid in the pupa, what can go wrong, and more... 

Pluggables: 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/there-will-be-bugs/id1715492448 - There will be Bugs on Apple Podcasts 

https://open.spotify.com/show/2u8pQQEVkUHQj0Cl3robap - Spotify link 

@there_will_be_bugs - Inst...

Mark as Played
October 28, 2025 18 mins

I discuss the relationship of ladybirds to Christianity. 

Sources include: 

Books - A cultural history of insects in the medieval age 

Encyclopedia of Easter celebrations worldwide

https://fathersofmercy.com/the-seven-sorrows-seven-joys-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4567115-a-year-on-ladybug-farm 

https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/15/5/306 

https://ucatholic.com/blog/our-ladys-bird-the-catholic-origins...

Mark as Played

The 7-spot ladybird was my very first episode and I've re-edited the audio and uploaded it again, which I will be doing for some of my older episodes, although it still sounds a bit weird in places, so I might update this file again in future as well. I used a variety of sources for this, including books by Richard Comont and Helen Roy. My instagram account was since hacked so the link is invalid, and my patreon account was deactiv...

Mark as Played

An in depth episode about the amazingly variable 10-spot ladybird. 

Sources: 

AFG Dixon's study on 10-spot larvae: An experimental study of the searching behaviour of the predatory coccinellid beetle Adalia decempunctata (L.) 

https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2311.1958.tb00786.x - Escape responses by aphids to 10-spots 

https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/20/7074 - Study about Adaline 

https://online...

Mark as Played

I interview Armando Rosario Lebrón, an entomologist who has recently moved from the USA to Wales, about the Trump administration's policies and how these are affecting entomology in the USA. 

Mentioned in this episode: 

https://cvrileyfoundation.org/charles-valentine-riley/

https://vancouverbeeproject.org/blog/the-usgs-bee-lab-is-at-risk-of-being-permanently-closed

https://www.entsoc.org/membership

https://americanentomologicalsoci...

Mark as Played

I discuss my recent trip to Italy and the ladybirds and other inverts I saw there. 

Bsky: @psyllobora22 FB: Hidden Wings and Bloodlust Website: https://hiddenwingsandbloodlust.podbean.com  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hidden-wings-and-bloodlust/id1476595771

Mark as Played
September 16, 2025 19 mins

I talk about the origins of ladybirds. 

Sources: 

Spotlight Ladybirds - Richard Comont

Ecology and behaviour of the ladybird beetles - Michael Majerus

Evolution of food preferences in Coccinellidae - https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrkEIRN5sloBgIAIvoM34lQ;_ylu=Y29sbwNpcjIEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1759271758/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.sciencedirect.com%2fscience%2farticle%2fpii%2fS1049964409001455/RK=2/RS=4Wu5La0qsbIGD.kLV7...

Mark as Played

I speak to Joe Gray from the Ecological Citizen about Compassionate Entomology and how the concept of treating insects as individuals, taking into account their welfare, could revolutionise entomological research. 

https://blog.ecologicalcitizen.net/2024/12/10/making-a-case-for-compassionate-entomology 

Mark as Played

The second part of my conversation with John. We don't stick to ladybirds but talk about a wide range of wildlife topics. :) 

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts - Music by Debra Torrance.

Buy my book! https://mybook.to/82BK2En

Buy me a coffee - https://ko-fi.com/hwabpodcast 

Mark as Played

Recently myself and my friend John Attiwell went to Norfolk. The previous year we had been to Scotland. We recorded a 2-part conversation - the first part is about ladybirds we have found. ;) 

https://ko-fi.com/hwabpodcast Buy me a coffee at Ko-Fi :) 

https://mybook.to/82BK2En - Buy my book! 

Mark as Played

I talk to Michiel de Groot of the University of Ghent about his research on the notorious Laboulbeniales fungi, and the Hesperomyces genus which infect ladybirds - especially Harlequins. 

Follow Michiel at @michieldegroot.bsky.social 

https://beetlehangers.org/ Beetlehangers 

https://www.dannyhaelewaters.com/ - Danny Haelewaters' research

https://fun-dive.eu/ - Monitoring and mapping fungal diversity 

--

https://ko-fi.com/hwabpodca...

Mark as Played
November 17, 2024 12 mins
Mark as Played
July 10, 2024 32 secs

I'm gonna restart the @hwabpodcast again! 

Mark as Played

I interview wildlife campaigner Richard Dowling (@DowlingWildlife on Twitter) about artificial grass. In this episode we talk about what the problems are with it, what the best low-maintenance plants are for your lawn as alternatives to grass, what to do if your landlord won't let you get rid of an artificial lawn and more! 

With a promo for Crime Most French @CrimeMostFrench :) 

 

Music by Debra Torrance. 

 

Sign Richard's petitio...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

    My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.