My main themes here are gardening, nature and conservation, green energy and open source software but my frustration with the way billionaires are trashing our world will inevitably feature at times.
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npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c Profile Code
nprofile1qqsfrx8k800l49fz5u6zkyywa670up9nzr38hmgj5mz6m87tjajrvqspz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsw6dnvy
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Published at
2026-07-29T01:11:08Z Event JSON
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Last Notes npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB I have said before that my macro lens is not best suited to ornithology but this came out very well. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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] npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB The Caltha palustris doing very well in the raised pond. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB @npub1ppe…qv2g npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Weevil! This would need microscopy follow up but is likely Ceratapion onopordi. Southern England npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Whilst gaining nothing on their Right. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB A tray of sodium bicarbonate is said to be good at absorbing dog smells from the upholstery. No need for direct contact. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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'. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Fountain grass (Cenchrus setaceus) was growing abundantly along the sea wall. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Wanting to get on with it is understandable 😃 npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Whoever allowed the use of Copilot by the police should be sacked. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB My catalpa stems are very straight and lighweight. They would be ideal for the longitudinal sections I think. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB On the accession of Eastern Europe, Blair had the option of a seven year phase-in but refused it. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB My crazy Teucrium. Like gorse, it never stops flowering. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB @npub12pw…zvxn npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 'Evidence' and metrics are generally that which is easily measured. The accountant mentality. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB There is supposedly a drift towards giving consumables for Xmas. That seems like a very good idea. Soap, subscriptions, food hampers, paper, bird seed... npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Goldfinches descend on my Perovskia as late as April, so I leave it until the new growth is already well on the way. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Just short of £160,000 at this point. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Alcohol-free beer is excellent these days and widely available. The scenario is much less of an issue than it used to be. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB @npub1t2q…n4vh npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB #SilentSunday npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB A young woman gave up her seat to me on the metro. Very nice of her but not familiar territory for me. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Chocolate and hazelnut gateau is probably not good for me at a physical level. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB These are very popular in Spain, with good reason. 75km range and plug in anywhere. Dry, space for shopping, fits through small gaps. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Fabulous little Seat 127. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB A lecture from Adam on Alienation, without ever using the word. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Law is often treated as a toolbox to advance the ideological agenda of enforcement officers. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB If all of the imagined efficiency gains had been real, the economy would be a nothingness by now. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB One of the best views out of a train window anywhere. Perfect weather for it. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB For no very obvious reason, I just remembered the 1954 film 'The Runaway Bus', starring Frankie Howerd. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB This book is part of the New Naturalist series by Collins. It was written in 1947. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Naturalists are predominantly elderly. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB This is a medlar. A very unusual fruit tree but very attractive. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB To those of us of a certain age, having fizzy drinks squirted over them. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB I bought some red-flushed apricots grown in England. A revelation! It used to be vaguely possible to grow one variety - Moor Park. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB I have just booked a rail journey of 160 miles. Admittedly I have a railcard but I paid just £21 for a single. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB I hadn't expected this to be a butterfly day but it turned out that way. This is a male Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus). npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB With nettle, you can extract the fibres and make into tea towels and shirts :) If you have a few months with nothing to do... npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Very quiet today but there was this. Common Darter female (Sympetrum striolatum). npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Comfrey and nettle. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB One of our most beautiful insects. This is a (greater) Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria). It is completely harmless; all an act. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB The chilling effect is exactly what Labour want. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB A nice afternoon but invertebrates were hiding away. Only a few recorded. The stand out was this 22 spot ladybird (Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata). npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB This is an invasive from Asia, sadly. Especially unfortunate as elm is already having a disastrous time. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB A delight to find this. Passed by thousands of unsuspecting Tesco shoppers. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Corvids seem to take offence at petals sometimes. Maybe it is not chewing as such but angry pecking? npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Despite letting in 'cool' 19° air in overnight, the living space is still stubbornly at 25°. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB No serious harm done to me. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB I was pushed through a shop window. The police were pretty solidly for the fascists. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB I don't disagree with your sentiment but I think we need to dig down into the data more. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB The sea-kale in the walled garden is enormous this year and the pineapple broom is well on the way to becoming a tree. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB A common red ant (Myrmica rubra) farming aphids this afternoon on cow parsley. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB This is one of the best photos I have ever taken and the subject is rather special. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB This is what I have been waiting for. I will be happy with just one. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB I have been working on this for years. It finally delivered. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB After complaining that the thyme bank was not attracting pollinators, @npub16rp…873y suggested it was probably because the soil was too dry. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Tiny must have been a remarkable dog. Much loved. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB This one had been told that if it stayed completely still it would be invisible. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB The Actinidia kolomikta is a close relative of the commercial kiwi fruit but purely decorative. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB The willow twigs have taken very well. I hadn't expected catkins so quickly. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Flood defences are not 'climate action'. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB This Dock Bug (Coreus marginata) seen this afternoon looks like a fortified rusty iron robot. Probably useful for loading flatbeds. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB This is why you should allow the dandelions in your garden to grow. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB A lime tree with leaves just opened. A yellowish green with a glossy finish. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB All it takes is a bit of sun (oddly we are getting lots) and England becomes a quite magical place. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Another Dark-edged Bee Fly (Bombylius major). npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Horse chesnut leaves infurling. They are deeply ribbed and droop at this stage. The sticky toffee leaf bud is seen peeled back. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB I could wait until Tuesday but this is just too lovely. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/kerria-twig-and-leaf-blight npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB 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. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB Commonplace but a delight to see. Hazel catkins announcing life bursting back into activity. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB At first I didn't realise the source of the smell. It is an intense mixture of chocolate and baking bread. npub1jxv0vw7ll22j9fe59vggam4ulcztxy8z00k39fk94k0uh9myxcpq9dxd5c LionelB A small-flowered catchfly (Silene gallica).
