As I did two years ago, I’m going to use my last 26 posts to count down alphabetically to the end of the year, sometimes celebrating special finds, often highlighting particular species or families, occasionally indicating the flora and fauna I want to learn more about. That countdown also began with A is for aphids and with my announcement that I intended to look at their various species more closely in 2022. That didn’t really happen; in fact, my fascination with aphids didn’t really kick in until 2023 was half over.

Initially, aphids were the victims, food for hoverfly larvae (Yummy aphids, 21 June). Next, I found some new galls that were caused by aphids (Galls: Pemphigus spyrothecae, 17 July). Then began my slide down the slippery (and often confusing) slope towards aphids and their parasites, with A parasitised aphid on 19 September; Aphid mummies on 26 September; the 10 October post: A confusion of pie crusts; and more mummies, this time black in colour, Black mummies on 19 October. I finished my 2023 aphid obsession with a chance sighting on 25 October Aphids: Tuberolachnus salignus, and I’m already excited about what I might find next year.