Nostr notes by LionelB

I bought a pack of kiln dried birch logs (Home Bargains in UK) ...

2026-04-18T07:53:00Z

I bought a pack of kiln dried birch logs (Home Bargains in UK) and picked out the thicker blocks to make a bee house. They are fussy about depth, so I needed auger bits for greater reach. The excavations are around 12cm deep.

#solitarybees #bees #insects

I have said before that my macro lens is not best suited to ...

2026-04-08T20:45:08Z

I have said before that my macro lens is not best suited to ornithology but this came out very well.

It is a Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) and it - and others - were singing beautifully today. Southern UK.

#birds #warblers #ornithology

Some excellent news. Under fleece protection, the giant Canary ...

2026-04-06T11:30:15Z

Some excellent news. Under fleece protection, the giant Canary Islands echium has not just survived but flourished. Over the winter months it has doubled in size. Now, it is in great need of sunshine. [Cotswolds, UK]

#gardening

The Caltha palustris doing very well in the raised pond. ...

2026-04-04T11:42:44Z

The Caltha palustris doing very well in the raised pond.

#gardening #pond #wildflowers

@npub1ppe…qv2g An update on Nottinghamshire's Tapinoma ants ...

2026-03-29T20:08:02Z

myrmepropagandist (npub1ppe…qv2g)
An update on Nottinghamshire's Tapinoma ants
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr1KZSqvS34

#ants

Weevil! This would need microscopy follow up but is likely ...

2026-03-11T17:37:57Z

Weevil! This would need microscopy follow up but is likely Ceratapion onopordi. Southern England

#weevil #WeevilWednesday #insect

Whilst gaining nothing on their Right. Will Labour shrink to a ...

2026-02-28T10:20:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…lzuv
_________________________

Whilst gaining nothing on their Right.

Will Labour shrink to a rump, simply implode, merge its remnants into Reform?

The "Starmer is a decent man" narrative is clearly nonsense and the bulk of their MPs are cynical careerists. All are participants in their 'authentic zeitgeist whisperer of the (1950s) working class' religion.

There is a maybe a niche for a revamped Harold Wilson (of whichever gender) as part of a parliamentary alliance against the hard Right.

It certainly looks like epochal territory.

#ukpol

A tray of sodium bicarbonate is said to be good at absorbing dog ...

2026-02-04T17:07:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…u49u
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A tray of sodium bicarbonate is said to be good at absorbing dog smells from the upholstery. No need for direct contact.

A corollary to that is the different perspective on time. Big ...

2026-02-01T09:52:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…x99y
_________________________

A corollary to that is the different perspective on time. Big tech in the USA initially played the long game of entrapment. Now everything has its focus on immediate extraction. Quarterly performance is 'long-term'.

In China, everything is subsumed to a 5 year or 10 year horizon.

That reflects also in social media. Greed now, versus destiny.

Fountain grass (Cenchrus setaceus) was growing abundantly along ...

2026-01-23T19:59:37Z

Fountain grass (Cenchrus setaceus) was growing abundantly along the sea wall.
#wildflowers #costablanca

Wanting to get on with it is understandable 😃

2026-01-21T17:51:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…k85d
_________________________

Wanting to get on with it is understandable 😃

Sweet peas will start in October but the best advice I have seen ...

2026-01-21T17:22:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…qhxz
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Sweet peas will start in October but the best advice I have seen is to sow them in December. A lull in the early part of the year is probably not doing them much good and they will tend to become leggy. Continuous growing from a later start avoids that and they should transplant better.

Whoever allowed the use of Copilot by the police should be ...

2026-01-14T11:20:15Z

In reply to nevent1q…jx43
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Whoever allowed the use of Copilot by the police should be sacked.

My catalpa stems are very straight and lighweight. They would be ...

2026-01-14T11:13:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…hxd6
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My catalpa stems are very straight and lighweight. They would be ideal for the longitudinal sections I think.

On the accession of Eastern Europe, Blair had the option of a ...

2026-01-11T10:04:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…38kl
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On the accession of Eastern Europe, Blair had the option of a seven year phase-in but refused it.

To "borders should not exist" purists, this is not problematic.

It did though mean that flows exceeded what the logistics could handle - infrastructure and employment.

Much grievance was not about xenophobia but about the sudden deterioration of schools, GP surgeries, housing availability.

There should have been a seven year transition and there should have been comprehensive social integration and infrastructure projects in parallel.

We are essentially still in that place. There are academic economic arguments about demographics and entrepreneurial spirit which look good on a spreadsheet but still no attempt at planning, no transition arrangements.

Race and volume get all the attention on both sides of the divide but the assumption is still that new arrivals will just disappear into the system, which will take up the slack, with no policy and no investment.

This growing in a verge beside a road. Cyclamen hederifolium. ...

2026-01-01T15:17:13Z

This growing in a verge beside a road. Cyclamen hederifolium. Elsewhere, the top-soil has brought black mustard, geranium and artichokes, along with many others. Everything growing very vigorously. Curious.

#disturbedground #urbanwildflowers

My crazy Teucrium. Like gorse, it never stops flowering. ...

2025-12-30T15:30:01Z

My crazy Teucrium. Like gorse, it never stops flowering.

#gardening

The giant echium today before it was wrapped in fleece. There are ...

2025-12-29T14:10:37Z

The giant echium today before it was wrapped in fleece. There are some cold nights coming up. Whether it survives is now entirely down to the weather.

#echium #canaryislands

@npub12pw…zvxn When I started work, it was common to get things ...

2025-12-22T10:58:18Z

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

When I started work, it was common to get things done by doing favours and calling in favours. Those who were obliging and flexible did well. The miserable and ungenerous got no help, so they performed badly. Actions didn't come out of my budget or your budget. It was our budget.

Since this was a 'favours' economy, objectionable customers of course got an inferior service. Rightly so.

Then the accountants set up micro section budgets, creating fierce competition. Defending one's own pot of money became the universal top priority and everything froze. Instant, imaginative (and inexpensive) fixes became impossible and sloping shoulders became the norm. Useless meetings, position papers and disputes gobbled up funds, all in the name of not being the one holding the parcel when the music stopped.

'Evidence' and metrics are generally that which is easily ...

2025-12-22T09:52:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…vvwz
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'Evidence' and metrics are generally that which is easily measured. The accountant mentality.

Innovation, cooperation, the human touch should be core considerations but accountants are not interested in anything outside the realm of their bean-counting expertise. Which is most things.

The spreadsheet was one of the most damaging things ever invented.

Not only is the giant echium alive, it is growing vigorously. The ...

2025-12-20T13:17:55Z

Not only is the giant echium alive, it is growing vigorously. The abutilon too. I presume that both take their cue from day length. January is likely to pose the biggest threat.

[Southern UK]

#gardening #climatechange

There is supposedly a drift towards giving consumables for Xmas. ...

2025-12-07T10:17:04Z

There is supposedly a drift towards giving consumables for Xmas. That seems like a very good idea. Soap, subscriptions, food hampers, paper, bird seed...

Most people have a crazy amount of 'stuff' and want to reduce it, not collect more.

For those in need, basics are a lifeline.

Wooden brushes and darning kits too - simple equipment to extend the life of stuff we already possess.

Arts and craft are also an exception. We need to sustain those creative people.

#christmasgifts #christmaspresents

Goldfinches descend on my Perovskia as late as April, so I leave ...

2025-12-02T22:55:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…qvtp
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Goldfinches descend on my Perovskia as late as April, so I leave it until the new growth is already well on the way.

Just short of £160,000 at this point. 33 days left.

2025-11-29T10:02:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…365h
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Just short of £160,000 at this point.

33 days left.

Alcohol-free beer is excellent these days and widely available. ...

2025-11-19T16:52:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…cs7g
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Alcohol-free beer is excellent these days and widely available. The scenario is much less of an issue than it used to be.

I would call it Lutheran. Dark and proper. Highly suspicious of ...

2025-11-09T09:52:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…ep2l
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I would call it Lutheran. Dark and proper. Highly suspicious of joy. At home in a bank, a town hall or the office of a solicitor.

@npub1t2q…n4vh I am not seeing 'Navigation' in default ...

2025-10-28T16:16:13Z

Organic Maps (npub1t2q…n4vh)

I am not seeing 'Navigation' in default apps in iOS.

Latest Organic Maps is installed.

I am in Spain.

#SilentSunday Three clam shells on a beach. ...

2025-10-26T14:03:29Z

#SilentSunday

Three clam shells on a beach.

A young woman gave up her seat to me on the metro. Very nice of ...

2025-10-19T17:39:39Z

A young woman gave up her seat to me on the metro. Very nice of her but not familiar territory for me.

I will no doubt try to rationalise it by the fact that I was weighed down with a heavy rucksack, which might have caught someone in the face. Better to be sat down.

I am 'old' but probably it is only other old people who understand that the elements of decay are just external.

The me inside is perennially around 30. There isn't a me inside which is 'old'.

To say that there is a feeling of being trapped would be an overstatement. It creeps up very gradually. But there is a sense of disconnect. The two states don't match up.

#life #ageing

Chocolate and hazelnut gateau is probably not good for me at a ...

2025-10-18T13:30:06Z

Chocolate and hazelnut gateau is probably not good for me at a physical level.

But think of the spiritual aspects.

This day flying moth on lantana has an almost unbelievable ...

2025-10-16T10:26:05Z

This day flying moth on lantana has an almost unbelievable abstract art colouration. It is a Rattlebox, not sure of species. Quite large. 13-14mm.

#moths #andalusia

These are very popular in Spain, with good reason. 75km range and ...

2025-10-14T19:21:34Z

These are very popular in Spain, with good reason. 75km range and plug in anywhere. Dry, space for shopping, fits through small gaps.

Disadvantage is that they are not 90% of cars on the road. F=m.a

Also, the choice is grey or grey.

#weirdcarmastodon #ev #microcar #citroenami

Fabulous little Seat 127. #weirdcarmastodon ...

2025-10-08T09:19:27Z

Fabulous little Seat 127.

#weirdcarmastodon

I am not suggesting this is either properly wild or native but ...

2025-10-05T17:13:11Z

I am not suggesting this is either properly wild or native but these nasturtiums are growing at the base of a basalt cliff, mostly in shade. It gives a useful insight into where they like to be.

#WildflowerHour

A lecture from Adam on Alienation, without ever using the word. ...

2025-09-25T20:12:25Z

A lecture from Adam on Alienation, without ever using the word.

His is a very important point. In wild places, we have come to see ourselves as intruders. We had better relearn quickly that we are participants. We can be destructive or beneficial but we are not and have never been absent.

#ecology #forests

If This Isn't Good Medicine, I Don't Know What Is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLXdaT2kZNU

Law is often treated as a toolbox to advance the ideological ...

2025-09-21T09:59:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…e7w6
_________________________

Law is often treated as a toolbox to advance the ideological agenda of enforcement officers.

Much is simply ignored. Some is contorted to have application in ways not intended by the legislators.

The letter of the law and the alleged intentions behind it are considerably removed from the direct exercise of power. Political interference is very evident.

Windsor a case in point.

If all of the imagined efficiency gains had been real, the ...

2025-09-19T09:06:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…9u96
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If all of the imagined efficiency gains had been real, the economy would be a nothingness by now.

Squeezing demoralises and injects chaos. Capital is spent without training, maintenance, monitoring, policy formation. It is therefore poorly utilised.

Squeezing increases inefficiency. More mistakes. More lost opportunities.

I bought an 1857 reprint of an 1815 book on entomology. Not for ...

2025-09-13T10:06:11Z

I bought an 1857 reprint of an 1815 book on entomology. Not for scientific insights but to see how they thought, what they did and what they observed.

What I expected was Enlightenment inspired scientific analysis.

I was quite unprepared to find heavy duty theology. Given that vicars were among the few who had the education and leisure to become entomologists, I should not have been.

The Victorian habit of signalling gentility by always using three words when one will do is extremely intrusive.

Mass production of print seems to have brought about conspicuous over-indulgence in text.

#entomology #history #insects

One of the best views out of a train window anywhere. Perfect ...

2025-09-07T19:41:56Z

One of the best views out of a train window anywhere. Perfect weather for it.

Dawlish.

#rail #travel

For no very obvious reason, I just remembered the 1954 film ...

2025-09-04T23:07:29Z

For no very obvious reason, I just remembered the 1954 film 'The Runaway Bus', starring Frankie Howerd.

It revolves around a then British European Airways bus which gets lost in fog.

With breathtaking chutzpah, almost the entire film is set in special effects fog, so the bus is the set. Accidentally avant garde and surely the last word when it comes to working within a tight budget.

#film #movies

This book is part of the New Naturalist series by Collins. It was ...

2025-09-02T13:20:01Z

This book is part of the New Naturalist series by Collins. It was written in 1947.

It has some very interesting characteristics. The text is learned and technical but it is set out in plain language. There is no superiority about it. Throughout, there is an infectious sense of wonder and many references to what we don't know.

The approach is systematic, so most of the content is as valid as it was then.

It reflects a time when curiosity and knowledge were valued in their own right and respected.

Today, the focus is much more on photographic lists. Trainspotting, without a knowledge of infrastructure, engineering, logistics and communication.

#nature #biodiversity #insects #entomology

Naturalists are predominantly elderly. Is this because they were ...

2025-09-02T09:21:31Z

Naturalists are predominantly elderly.

Is this because they were socialised as children in a time when there was a greater abundance and variety of wildlife and were more free to roam or is it simply that in retirement they have time to let their interest flower?

If the former, we are in danger of seeing a collapse in data gathering for anything other than birds and butterflies, putting the natural world in greater danger.

If it is just a stage of life thing, there will be steady replacement and data will continue to flow.

Any thoughts?

#insects #entomology #biodiversity #birds #wildlife

Horse Chestnut trees in the UK and elsewhere are being destroyed ...

2025-08-31T17:25:29Z

Horse Chestnut trees in the UK and elsewhere are being destroyed by a virulent fungus. Both young and old trees are affected, from early in the season.

It was interesting to see Indian Chestnut nearby. It is very mildly affected.

Since young plants are susceptible, a hybridisation or gene transfer experiment could yield results much more quickly than for Ash.

#trees #arboriculture #treediseases

This is a medlar. A very unusual fruit tree but very attractive. ...

2025-08-31T17:12:58Z

This is a medlar. A very unusual fruit tree but very attractive.

#gardening #fruittrees

To those of us of a certain age, having fizzy drinks squirted ...

2025-08-31T12:17:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…njfv
_________________________

To those of us of a certain age, having fizzy drinks squirted over them.

This is quite wonderful. It addresses the romantic idea that ...

2025-08-27T21:33:03Z

This is quite wonderful. It addresses the romantic idea that there is a battle between mankind and the countryside. [Oligarchs versus everything decent and good is a different case]. Homo sapiens bad. Nature pristine and ideal. An emotional take.

It takes that belief system apart and explains that 'the countryside' is artificial and is how it is because of what we humans did to it. That keeping it means intervening actively, as opposed to not interfering.

The historical perspective on trees, built on facts rather than emotions, suggests a radically different perspective in favour of interfering and against the ideology of neglect.

Well worth a watch. Challenge what you think you know.

#trees #ecology #countryside #conservation

*How Natural is Natural? Historical Perspectives on Wildlife and the Environment in England*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPzjCQb2Uuw

This is a fairly new cultivar of Ligustrum which is called Lemon ...

2025-08-25T13:27:58Z

This is a fairly new cultivar of Ligustrum which is called Lemon 'n Lime. It is supposed to develop yellow-lime foliage when grown in the sun but actually it burns to an ugly brown crisp.

In the shade it loses the colour intensity and becomes a much more mainstream green. It also becomes a delightful small tree.

Ignore the label. Grow it as a specimen well away from sunshine.

#gardening

I bought some red-flushed apricots grown in England. A ...

2025-08-23T20:39:23Z

I bought some red-flushed apricots grown in England. A revelation! It used to be vaguely possible to grow one variety - Moor Park.

These were Congat. Very juicy and with a streak of acidity to balance the sweetness. Random sizes. No prissiness.

#fruit #apricots

I have just booked a rail journey of 160 miles. Admittedly I have ...

2025-08-18T18:07:14Z

I have just booked a rail journey of 160 miles. Admittedly I have a railcard but I paid just £21 for a single.

Something quite dramatic has happened on UK railways, with very little fanfare.

It is so cheap that it wouldn't be a disaster if I decided not to go. Though I can get a partial refund, as long as I don't activate the ticket.

Seat bookings are included.

Train travel deserves to be used much more for leisure.

#rail #UKRail #railways #travel #Trains

This Vitex agnus-castus has flowered properly for the first time ...

2025-08-17T21:35:06Z

This Vitex agnus-castus has flowered properly for the first time this year. I removed a lot of lower branches and I think it took the hint. I have loudly announced its possible removal.

It is called Chasteberry because a potion made from it was fed to monks, to dampen down any 'urges' which might have distracted from their monastic duties. Historical records don't indicate that it was very effective.

#gardening #shrubs

A caterpillar of the Knot Grass moth (Acronicta rumicis). They ...

2025-08-17T20:39:39Z

A caterpillar of the Knot Grass moth (Acronicta rumicis). They will eat lots of different things. Interesting that this one was on Red Bartsia. The moth is very decorative but entirely black and white.

#moths #insects

I hadn't expected this to be a butterfly day but it turned ...

2025-08-16T15:30:02Z

I hadn't expected this to be a butterfly day but it turned out that way. This is a male Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus).

#butterflies #insects

With nettle, you can extract the fibres and make into tea towels ...

2025-08-09T21:16:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…ft74
_________________________

With nettle, you can extract the fibres and make into tea towels and shirts :) If you have a few months with nothing to do...

With both you can leave them to rot down in a big bucket, then ...

2025-08-09T21:14:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…ft74
_________________________

With both you can leave them to rot down in a big bucket, then drain off the juice in the bottom and use it as liquid fertiliser.

Very quiet today but there was this. Common Darter female ...

2025-08-06T18:20:02Z

Very quiet today but there was this. Common Darter female (Sympetrum striolatum).

#dragonfly #insects

Comfrey and nettle.

2025-08-05T19:17:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…805t
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Comfrey and nettle.

One of our most beautiful insects. This is a (greater) Hornet ...

2025-08-01T17:55:32Z

One of our most beautiful insects. This is a (greater) Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria). It is completely harmless; all an act.

In flight it is a brilliant orange. It resembles clear toffee.

Found mostly in southern areas of England. It does janitor duties in hornet nests.

#insects #hoverfly

The chilling effect is exactly what Labour want. #ukpol

2025-07-30T20:31:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…svvz
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The chilling effect is exactly what Labour want.

#ukpol

A nice afternoon but invertebrates were hiding away. Only a few ...

2025-07-30T18:26:08Z

A nice afternoon but invertebrates were hiding away. Only a few recorded. The stand out was this 22 spot ladybird (Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata).

They are about a fifth the size of the usual 7 spot.

There are Harlequins around but I see the native species thriving alongside the supposed monster invader. I don't buy into the Armageddon hype around Harmonia axyridis.

#ladybird #insects

This isa mystery. It is a distorted flower bud on a magnolia. It ...

2025-07-28T15:22:12Z

This isa mystery. It is a distorted flower bud on a magnolia. It appears to be a wasp gall but hosting numerous larvae, rather than one. The white spots are odd though.

This is a fully mature specimen tree grown in a huge pot, so I would guess sourced wholesale from Italy.

Galls are normally quite specific but I can't find any reference to a specific wasp.

Magnolia is not a UK native so my presumption is that this is an invasive. I intend to remove the galls and destroy them, as a precaution.

Has anyone seen these before?

#insects #wasps #entomology #horticulture #magnolia

Another plug for the up-coming (charitable) event which brings ...

2025-07-24T22:36:50Z

Another plug for the up-coming (charitable) event which brings together a vast array of classic cars, vintage buses, coaches and motorbikes, steam engines, steam fair and much else.

Next to the Cotswold lakes.

https://www.glosvintageextravaganza.co.uk/

#weirdcarmastodon

This is an invasive from Asia, sadly. Especially unfortunate as ...

2025-07-24T18:54:25Z

This is an invasive from Asia, sadly. Especially unfortunate as elm is already having a disastrous time.

No surprise at all to learn that it is called ZigZag!

#insects #sawflies

A delight to find this. Passed by thousands of unsuspecting Tesco ...

2025-07-05T16:21:44Z

A delight to find this. Passed by thousands of unsuspecting Tesco shoppers.

A Cinnabar moth caterpillar (Tyria jacobaeae).

They have been having a difficult time.

#moth #insects

Corvids seem to take offence at petals sometimes. Maybe it is not ...

2025-07-04T20:35:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…ym9e
_________________________

Corvids seem to take offence at petals sometimes. Maybe it is not chewing as such but angry pecking?

Despite letting in 'cool' 19° air in overnight, the ...

2025-07-01T09:26:25Z

Despite letting in 'cool' 19° air in overnight, the living space is still stubbornly at 25°.

An obvious improvement would be shade the windows from outside. Space blankets and duct tape?

Yesterday hit 32°. When the UK gets 45°, logic suggests it will get to 38° indoors.

The killer is no major drop in night temperatures.

To manage, the options [all of which presume significant spending power] are a portable air-conditioning unit; park the EV in the shade somewhere and drain the battery with the aircon; book into a hotel which has aircon.

There is a huge market in external shutters about to open up in the UK.

#climatechange

No serious harm done to me. There was a local boy who had been in ...

2025-06-14T13:54:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…tsnh
_________________________

No serious harm done to me.

There was a local boy who had been in the thick of it. I took his hand silently. A woman friend took his other hand instinctively. And instantly we became 'nuclear family'.

We melted through the police lines like ninjas.

I was pushed through a shop window. The police were pretty ...

2025-06-14T13:40:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…4tgu
_________________________

I was pushed through a shop window. The police were pretty solidly for the fascists.

But the day was a success. The hard core of the nazis lapped it up but their softer supporters were unnerved and their movement fell apart.

#antifascism

I don't disagree with your sentiment but I think we need to ...

2025-06-11T10:26:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…qlnz
_________________________

I don't disagree with your sentiment but I think we need to dig down into the data more.

It is necessary to quantify how much of the divergence is down to inadequacies in primary care and how much is explained by Americans' horrific dietary habits.

I suspect that food policy/culture is the larger contributor by some margin.

The sea-kale in the walled garden is enormous this year and the ...

2025-06-11T08:45:03Z

The sea-kale in the walled garden is enormous this year and the pineapple broom is well on the way to becoming a tree.

#gardening #walledgarden

A common red ant (Myrmica rubra) farming aphids this afternoon on ...

2025-05-22T21:03:55Z

A common red ant (Myrmica rubra) farming aphids this afternoon on cow parsley.

Fine in the wild but please not on my apple tree!

#ants #aphids

This is one of the best photos I have ever taken and the subject ...

2025-05-20T20:13:05Z

This is one of the best photos I have ever taken and the subject is rather special.

It has two beautiful names - Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle and Agapanthia villosoviridescens.

It is very localised and I found it just about within its range. A highly unusual find.

The flight shot was the result of luck, persistence and observation.

Enjoy!

#insects #beetle #coleoptera

This is what I have been waiting for. I will be happy with just ...

2025-05-13T19:17:13Z

This is what I have been waiting for. I will be happy with just one.

My little apple tree from Tesco. Year 3.

#apple #fruit

This fledgling blue tit missed its vocation as a duck. It kept ...

2025-05-13T19:07:14Z

This fledgling blue tit missed its vocation as a duck. It kept jumping in and out of the pond and splashing. Barely out of the nest.

#birdsofmastodon

I have been working on this for years. It finally delivered. Iris ...

2025-05-13T14:10:04Z

I have been working on this for years. It finally delivered.

Iris borders are very rare. They need immense patience and a lot of space. They are over in days and rather dull most of the time.

But they are the pinnacle.

#gardening #englishgarden #iris

After complaining that the thyme bank was not attracting ...

2025-05-12T19:40:33Z

After complaining that the thyme bank was not attracting pollinators, Jo (npub16rp…873y) suggested it was probably because the soil was too dry.

After the rain (and my watering) things changed this morning.

Tiny bees around 5mm arrived. They have a startling green metallic head and shoulders.

They seem to be Common Green Furrow Bee (Lasioglossum morio) but a microscope probably needed to separate from other possibles.

Southern England.

#bees #insects

Tiny must have been a remarkable dog. Much loved. Cherry trees ...

2025-05-10T17:19:12Z

Tiny must have been a remarkable dog. Much loved.

Cherry trees tend not to live long. This one is 103 and full of vigour.

The owner long forgotten. The dog celebrated still.

#dogs #dogsofmastodon

This one had been told that if it stayed completely still it ...

2025-05-09T22:38:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…g2sd
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This one had been told that if it stayed completely still it would be invisible.

The Actinidia kolomikta is a close relative of the commercial ...

2025-05-05T17:50:18Z

The Actinidia kolomikta is a close relative of the commercial kiwi fruit but purely decorative.

Whether this one was planted in the 1920's I am not sure. It became very tired and had some major surgery but as you can see it has bounced back well.

#gardening #shrubs

The willow twigs have taken very well. I hadn't expected ...

2025-05-03T14:19:02Z

The willow twigs have taken very well. I hadn't expected catkins so quickly.

Gradually, they will be knitted together to make an arch.

#gardening #cuttings #propagation

A mint moth has arrived on the raised bed wildflower meadow. If I ...

2025-05-03T09:23:23Z

A mint moth has arrived on the raised bed wildflower meadow. If I poke around there are probably hundreds. It is small. Under a centimetre.

#moths

Flood defences are not 'climate action'. They can't ...

2025-05-03T07:53:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…37dn
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Flood defences are not 'climate action'.

They can't even get their categories right.

I have basking stones in my raised bed wildflower meadow. It ...

2025-04-20T19:32:01Z

I have basking stones in my raised bed wildflower meadow. It isn't that often that I see it used for basking but I am probably not around at the right moment.

Apart from that, it denies some space to plants and the soil it is sitting on is probably cooler and damper than the surrounding soil.

In insect terms, it is practically a mountain.

#gardening #wildlife #ecology

The Pearmain graft onto my species Malus is messy. The graft ...

2025-04-20T19:01:46Z

The Pearmain graft onto my species Malus is messy. The graft police would not approve. It worked though and now I have pink apple blossom from the fruit apple section.

Hoping it will set some.

#apples #grafting

M.Paola (npub12ng…qtvm)

This Dock Bug (Coreus marginata) seen this afternoon looks like a ...

2025-04-19T20:35:41Z

This Dock Bug (Coreus marginata) seen this afternoon looks like a fortified rusty iron robot. Probably useful for loading flatbeds.

#insect #leatherbug

This is why you should allow the dandelions in your garden to ...

2025-04-16T18:10:17Z

This is why you should allow the dandelions in your garden to grow.

This is one of the most beautiful hoverflies, Eupeodes luniger.

#hoverfly #insects

A lime tree with leaves just opened. A yellowish green with a ...

2025-04-11T19:20:53Z

A lime tree with leaves just opened. A yellowish green with a glossy finish.
#tree #springtime

This is the shieldbug I posted yesterday, in context on a ...

2025-04-08T08:16:01Z

This is the shieldbug I posted yesterday, in context on a dandelion leaf. The similarity to the dazzle camouflage of battleships is striking. It easily passes as a bird dropping.

In the 18th century, naturalists (who of course needed independent means, for books, microscope, travel etc. as well as leisure time...) had many disadvantages over us. No instant communication, pattern recognition, cameras. They had to rely on distant mounted collections and sketches.

One strength they had was a much greater abundance of wildlife. But their greatest advantage was in sustained, patient observation.

To notice what is going on you have to slow right down and absorb. As with painting or drawing, the sensation of time passing changes. Other concerns are locked out. It is a kind of meditation.

We can and should learn from their focus and awareness.

Adding lime to the pond seems to have boosted its vitality ...

2025-04-06T08:45:25Z

Adding lime to the pond seems to have boosted its vitality considerably. The water was crystal clear but disturbingly sterile. Aquatic plants struggled to get going.

The rainwater must have been quite sharply acidic.

#pond #gardening

All it takes is a bit of sun (oddly we are getting lots) and ...

2025-04-03T08:43:56Z

All it takes is a bit of sun (oddly we are getting lots) and England becomes a quite magical place.

Chiffchaffs and goldfinches very much at home in this canal walk.

#springtime #nature #countryside

Another Dark-edged Bee Fly (Bombylius major). Several of these ...

2025-04-02T23:17:04Z

Another Dark-edged Bee Fly (Bombylius major).

Several of these were hovering but at around 20cm off the ground, in open sunshine over dried mud.

The Eristalis were also hovering but at around 1.7m and kept close to the hedge.

These were also hanging around their mining bee hosts.

#BeeFly #insects

One of the issues with nature recording has been that for some ...

2025-04-02T08:43:33Z

One of the issues with nature recording has been that for some categories, confirmation is very slow or there is just no response at all. That acts as a considerable discouragement.

From my own experience, I can see that the situation is getting much better. More coverage, quicker responses, better coordination.

For all categories, reports increased massively with the appearance of smartphones. A camera that is with you and easy uploads makes it a breeze.

Information shows geographical spread, climate shifts, food plant dependancy, conservation success, priorities for protection and a host of other things.

In the UK, the databases are incredibly advanced.

This mining bee from yesterday will be a piece of the big puzzle. It is an Andrena. I just need to refine the species and figure out its behaviour. Another visit today to watch and learn.

#insects #biologicalrecording #ecology #solitarybees

There is a mass of blackthorn in flower in the hedgerow but the ...

2025-04-01T20:15:14Z

There is a mass of blackthorn in flower in the hedgerow but the blossom and small and rather unimpressive singly and the twigs are bare.

This wild damson has its leaves and the flowers are much more on the scale of cherry. More refined.

130 years ago there was a fruit farm about 2km away. Possible that this is descended from an escapee.

#hedgerow

Horse chesnut leaves infurling. They are deeply ribbed and droop ...

2025-03-30T19:59:40Z

Horse chesnut leaves infurling. They are deeply ribbed and droop at this stage. The sticky toffee leaf bud is seen peeled back.

#trees #chestnut

I could wait until Tuesday but this is just too lovely. Strange ...

2025-03-30T18:29:01Z

I could wait until Tuesday but this is just too lovely.

Strange how the clocks change and we are blasted into blazing sunshine. Tourists with their suitcases full of raincoats and thermal underwear are caught on the hop.

#trees #nature

https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/kerria-twig-and-leaf-blight

2025-03-26T00:29:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…r9xe
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https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/kerria-twig-and-leaf-blight

They are brittle. They snap very easily. Mine has been in for ...

2025-03-26T00:27:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…r9xe
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They are brittle. They snap very easily. Mine has been in for ages and this is the first year it has got to a size where it bears a lot of flower. It seems very healthy. Growing in not very much but mostly leaf litter.

This is one of my favourite plants. There was once a time when it ...

2025-03-24T22:01:29Z

This is one of my favourite plants. There was once a time when it was so common in gardens that it was viewed with snobbery. Too easy to grow. Too bright.

It is Kerria. I hardly ever see it now. I grow it in what passes for a tiny woodland clearing.

When first planted, the crows reacted furiously to the flowers and did a wrecking job. I have no idea what was going on in their heads.

#gardening #shrubs #kerria

Commonplace but a delight to see. Hazel catkins announcing life ...

2025-03-20T19:15:23Z

Commonplace but a delight to see. Hazel catkins announcing life bursting back into activity.

#hazel #trees #spring

At first I didn't realise the source of the smell. It is an ...

2025-03-15T14:42:29Z

At first I didn't realise the source of the smell. It is an intense mixture of chocolate and baking bread.

The tree is Jacaranda.

#trees

A small-flowered catchfly (Silene gallica). #WildflowerHour ...

2025-03-09T18:13:40Z

A small-flowered catchfly (Silene gallica).

#WildflowerHour