A provisional atlas of the bees, wasps and ants of Shropshire

Based on approximately 14000 records, covering over 300 species, this is the first ever published atlas of the bees, wasps and ants in Shropshire.
 
 Shropshire is a large inland county containing a great deal of habitat diversity within its boundaries. Significant areas for bees, wasps and ants include ash landfill in Buildwas, old sand quarries in Morville and Cound, lowland heath in Ruyton XI Towns and Prees, and flower-rich woodland in Wyre Forest and Wenlock Edge. The authors have discovered churchyards and suburban gardens with a rich aculeate fauna in Shrewsbury, Oswestry and Craven Arms. Good lists have also been made for coniferous plantations in the Clun district, the upland heath of the Long Mynd, and lowland grassland and arable fields in the north of the county.
 
 This atlas is one of a number being published to examine the distribution of some of Shropshire’s invertebrate groups as a result of the HLF Invertebrate Challenge project.