Richard Comont is an ecologist and the winner of the 2016 Gilbert White Award for terrestrial and freshwater biological recording. He works as Science Manager for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and is part of the UK Ladybird Survey team. Richard earned a PhD in zoology from the University of Oxford in 2014 for his work on the impacts of the Harlequin Ladybird on native ecosystems. He writes a wildlife blog and is a regular 'Local Patch' contributor to BBC Wildlife magazine.