Nature reports

The fall armyworm – the caterpillar of a moth species – can only be sustainably controlled with solutions tailored to regional differences. That is the conclusion of biologist Renée van Schaijk in her doctoral research. Her..

New research shows that by simply counting the diversity of flowers, we can estimate how rich a grassland is in species of plants, insects and spiders. The flower richness of grasslands can be surveyed rapidly and it can indicate..

In 2025, volunteers from Naturalis Biodiversity Center and members of the Dutch Entomological Society discovered a species of praying mantis on Aruba. It turned out to be a previously undescribed species. The praying mantis was..

The willow bent-wing Phyllocnistis triandricola, only described in 2023, has now also been found in the Netherlands and Belgium, but DNA research shows that the long-known Phyllocnistis saligna does not occur in the Netherlands..

A historical bee collection from the Oxford University Museum of Natural History has been newly researched and photographed. Collected by the famous British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, it includes many specimens that were..

Great tits can't complain about a lack of attention. NIOO has hung nearly two thousand nesting boxes for this 'model species'. For seven decades researchers have been following these songbirds. This makes it the longest-running..

Since 2012, the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) has been conducting research into the effect of artificial light at night on our natural environment. For this research – Light on Nature – streetlights have been..

Bees, bumblebees and butterflies have too little natural habitat around them to survive. A new study, led by researchers at Wageningen University & Research and published in Science, shows that these insects need much more space..

Over four centuries ago, the first prefect of Hortus botanicus Leiden founded a botanical garden collection that currently encompasses over sixteen thousand plants. The current prefect hopes to create a hotspot for biodiversity..

Can animal populations adapt to climate change by becoming genetically similar to more southerly populations? That is the question posed by ecologist Natalie van Dis. This knowledge could indicate which populations are most at..