John Dal

Retired systems programmer, now leftwing ranting botanist photographer grandad ex climber. Living in Northumberland, NE England. Oh, and I occasionally play guitar (#Gibson #LG1) and sing at local folk things.

Age: 78
Politics: [#Socialism](https://mastodon.green/tags/Socialism )
Sport: [#Climbing](https://mastodon.green/tags/Climbing ) (retired)
Homepage: https://dalrymple.me.uk

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Last Notes

2026-02-17 14:59:55 CET

Cheviot Hills over looking over the old Pele Tower at Powburn, taken from the hillside overlooking Beanley. #Northumberland #BlackAndWhitePhotography #BlackAndWhite #Photography #Landscape
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/116/086/315/868/673/748/original/78cb3e72d6425e1c.jpg

2026-01-26 12:08:40 CET

I put slow-moving insects into the fridge prior to photographing them to slow them down. I showed the grandchildren an image of this Rove Beetle yesterday and there was GREAT excitement and squeals of delight when I told them I kept it in the fridge. Not so much when they saw it was only 3mm long. Amazing things, modern macro lenses! #Insect #Macro #Photography
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/115/961/078/847/917/839/original/265e730c430dd383.jpg

2026-01-18 11:42:15 CET

A summer shot from 2009. I'd pitched a little tent atop the Simonside Ridge in the hope of getting some shots of a lovely misty dawn across the Northumberland Plain, with the sun rising over the mist and melting it away. It didn't happen, instead a feral Goat showed up, maybe a Cheviot one but according to an expert likely a Galloway one that's escaped from a nearby farm. The same ancient breed though and a wonderful animal. #Capra #Goat #Animal #Farm #Northumberland #Photography
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/115/915/670/974/035/365/original/19a883ac3b5e773c.jpg

2026-01-16 11:20:51 CET

A couple of tiny Mycena #FungiFriday
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/115/904/266/617/530/137/original/188538bdae48a173.jpg

2026-01-14 11:46:55 CET

This thing is about 2mm long, excluding antennae, yet it has fold away wings and can fly. If Elon Musk imagines he can emulate nature with technology, he's got a lot to learn! I'm no expert - I rely on experts in various groups to help with ID, and apparently these things are notoriously difficult to identify down to species and according to Wikipedia there are 66,000 species. #Entomology #Insect #Beetle #Invertebrate #Nature #Photography #Macro
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/115/893/043/368/217/135/original/97b7e887e6081632.jpg
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/115/893/043/369/639/697/original/4e3c655cf8b096dc.jpg

2025-12-24 08:25:21 CET

Looking west from the road at Rothley, Northumberland, UK. Classic Northumbrian countryside on a late December afternoon. #Northumberland #Photography #Agriculture #Landscape #LandscapePhotography
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/115/773/336/960/048/820/original/46e3f2864a83826c.jpg

2025-12-08 09:58:41 CET

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A very good archaeologist friend of mine in the UK seemed to spend his working life sitting on a folding chair watching builders dig holes. When he got bored he could stop them and have a little dig himself. You must have those gigs where you are?

2025-10-29 10:57:02 CET

Common Cornsalad (Valarianella locusta) (probably).There are half a dozen species of Cornsalad, this being the commonest, and they and tough to distinguish. As the name suggests, this plant is edible in salads. This one was on a cobbled pavement area in the town, I wouldn't recommend eating one picked from there!
#PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/115/456/852/295/612/800/original/9825a56ec10bfbd5.jpg

2025-10-27 11:27:23 CET

Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor). This plant is considered to be essential, if you want a wildflower meadow, it parasites on grasses and keeps the robust grasses from dominating. It's an annual and the seeds are very short lived, they need to germinate in the winter after the plant had flowered. Also they apparently need 4 months of below 5C to germinate, so how it doesn't die out after a warm winter is a mystery to me. #PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/115/445/647/088/938/955/original/1af62d61014dbc68.jpg

2025-09-08 11:39:45 CEST

Pink Purslane (Claytonia sibrica). There are a few plants called Pink Purslane in other parts of the world, which is why we have those pesky scientific names. This particular one abounds in the little wood at the bottom of our street.
#PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/115/168/001/276/421/290/original/b7df0665b50abe44.jpg

2025-08-16 11:33:40 CEST

St Marks Flies on Heb Robert growing on a woodland "ride" in my local ancient woodland. Nowadays the wood is happily unmanaged and just about inaccessible, which is great for little scenes like this. #Nature #Insect #Dipera #Fly #Pollen #Nectar #Flower #Woodland
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/115/037/747/097/387/183/original/7d1ceb151a6d5cd2.jpg

2025-08-08 09:02:29 CEST

Devils-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis) providing some food for a Small Skipper (?).
#PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/991/852/690/812/633/original/46a1a00c7f76c22e.jpg

2025-08-02 08:47:50 CEST

The stem of Brown Sedge (Carex disticha). Even those parts of a plant which may seem plain and ordinary can be extraordinary, In this case a cross section of the stem of this common sedge reveals the letter D running through it.
#PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #Macro #Photography
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/957/821/500/058/338/original/ec1b0cba45c393ee.jpg

2025-08-01 10:49:39 CEST

Herb Robert (Geranioun robertium), a common enough little thing which grows seemingly anywhere. The red colour of the leaves is a thing which plants do when they are stressed in some way - usually too dry or not enough nutrient. In this case it's flowering away growing on a mossy rock with absolutely no soil. Amazing really. It's a species that almost seems to thrive on adversity, as it's regularly seen with this red colouration.
#PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/952/642/628/937/991/original/14688e7ed30d4464.jpg

2025-07-28 08:45:44 CEST

Yellow Pimpernel (Lysimachia nemorum), no relative of the more famous Scarlet Pimpernel. A UK native you'll see brightening up dark woodland floors.
#PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/929/500/842/546/432/original/bdcef32b24295aa7.jpg

2025-07-27 10:51:05 CEST

Water Forget-me-nots (Myosotis scorpioides) growing out of the silent murky waters of a neglected overgrown pond at the edge of our village. These are places the local council would "clear up" and prettify if they had half a chance (i.e. the money). I like them the way they are.
#PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/924/325/839/965/497/original/4ad367e266f7c13f.jpg

2025-07-26 10:36:10 CEST

Dandelions are common as muck. Right? Well not really. There are 250ish species of dandelion in the UK, and this one is probably the rarest plant I've seen. It's the St Kildan Dandelion (Taraxicum pankhurstium) It's found only on St Kilda. It's also the easiest to identify, because it's the only species of dandelion on St Kilda. It's closely related to Icelandic species.
#PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/918/613/489/416/216/original/163f5666bea18563.jpg
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/918/613/503/960/106/original/49adc0a7de270396.jpg

2025-07-25 08:54:22 CEST

Wild Thyme (Thymus polytrichus), commonest growing in mats on limy, chalky grassland or stony limestone ground, here it's in a quarry where the cattle like to gather and it's escaped their grazing on the limestone quarry walls.
#PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/912/550/057/034/281/original/6b59dde9dfb30c8d.jpg

2025-07-19 11:34:44 CEST

A Sedge Sitter hoverfly getting stuck into the nectar in a Greater Stitchwort flower. (flower: Rabelera holostea, the fly is a Platycheirus species)
#PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling #Hoverfly #Fly #Insect
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/879/206/298/926/856/original/d0dfbb8426bb1f01.jpg

2025-07-18 09:03:49 CEST

A very common pant at the seaside, Sea Pink (Armeria maritima). This was on the island of Hirta, best known as "St Kilda". What is notable about Hirta, and the other islands in that little archipelago I imagine, is that there is virtually nowhere flat - i spent an age at this spot looking for somewhere to put my tripod, but there was nothing. It's a tough place to get to, but well worth the visit. #PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/872/949/589/122/068/original/1beb1e2a97dc7112.jpg

2025-07-16 08:00:55 CEST

Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens) is the bane of my gardening life, it lives up to it's name and creeps everywhere. It once completely dominated the lawn, with it's creeping stems (stolons) spreading everywhere., but there it has met it's nemesis in the not so unsightly White Clover. In the wild it's a coloniser of wet meadows and marshy areas. However, you can't deny the flowers are rather grand. #PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/861/380/126/130/012/original/db90a876ee299428.jpg

2025-07-08 08:54:26 CEST

Field Poppies (Papaver rhoeas)- for once not the glorious field full of them, jut a couple that presumably survived the weedkiller. Farmer must've missed a bit.
#PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/816/295/444/910/807/original/1baa23f6e7035eff.jpg

2025-07-05 09:27:25 CEST

A favourite little plant of mine, Rest Harrow (Ononis repens) It thrives in river gravels and sand dunes and that's it's trick for success, it has little competition.
#PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/799/432/138/496/019/original/92fd846d0cdac873.jpg

2025-07-04 11:15:06 CEST

This from 20 years ago. A beech tree, mysteriously left alone whilst around it the land was ravaged to create a conifer plantation. There it survived for 30 years, the Old Man Of The Woods, eventually outlasting the upstart conifers. When the plantation was harvested, the Old Man was left standing proud for a while until, unprotected, it was brought down by the force of Storm Arwen. #PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/794/197/462/816/987/original/ab792efbe65a8aac.jpg

2025-07-03 09:13:44 CEST

In 2002 the botanical charity Plantlife, founded by David Bellamy, had the wacky idea of getting the great British public to vote on which flower should be their "county flower". As a result Northumberland's county flower is now Bloody Cranesbill (Geranium sanguinium), which is a bit strange because it only grows in a narrow strip at the coast. It’s absent from most of the place.
#PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/788/058/760/078/225/original/17e6534a98acb7d7.jpg

2025-07-02 08:49:02 CEST

Betony, (Betonica officinalis), forms lovely clumps of colour in unkempt grassland. A plant where the scientific name has changed recently, likely as part of a taxonomists job creation scheme. DNA profiling has led to much to-ing and fro-ing of plants in the highly regimented naming structure, which is intended to reflect the evolution of life on earth. Or something. It’s playing havoc with my wildlife photo indexing system. #PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/782/295/171/370/197/original/c7e5add4a5a67c38.jpg

2025-07-01 08:37:54 CEST

A lush little forest of Great Horsetail (Equisetum telmateia)., a common sight in damp woods in Northumberland. A miniature of what forests of these ancient plants would have looked like in the Carboniferous era. #PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/776/586/953/858/807/original/f37b7419e0917da5.jpg

2025-06-30 21:31:40 CEST

The fucking gall of the BBC. Currently showing a repeat of Lucy Worsely's program on plucky Londoners during the blitz. According to Wikipedia18,688 civilians were killed in London (awful). However it's OK to ignore the 56,500 Palestinian civilians (and counting) the iDF mass murderers have killed in Gaza (in half the time) and to accuse anyone who criticizes them of being antesemitic.
Disgraceful.
#BBC #hypocrisy #WesternHypocrisy #Gaza #FreePalestine

2025-06-30 08:50:17 CEST

A splash of summer colour, Sea Pink (America maritima) growing in a rocky crevice on a slabby hill slope near the sea. It’s surrounded by some wonderful Lichens – A bright yellow Caloplaca, a little grey clump of Ramalina siliquosa on the far left and sheets of a light grey crustose lichen covering other areas. In stormy weather this will be lashed with salt spray, but on a calm sunny day it’s paradise.
#PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling #Hebrides #Mingulay
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/770/951/239/910/562/original/a3cfbf7f323e4546.jpg

2025-06-29 08:54:27 CEST

Vipers Bugloss (Echium vulgare) , a glorious colum of blue whch likes sandy shingly open grassy dunes and suchlike. A great place to sit in the sun and spot Hummingbird Hawk Moths. This on Lindisfarne.
#PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling #Moth
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/765/329/368/204/764/original/25437bc4731d54e7.jpg

2025-06-28 09:27:37 CEST

Bog Asphodel (Narthecium ossifragum), a common plant of Northumbrian wetlands, but not often seen unless you are in the habit of plodging around such places. #PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling #Northumberland
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/759/796/730/089/553/original/f551e1d93a67cdde.jpg

2025-06-21 14:06:36 CEST

Orchids have a complex life cycle, needing a specific fungus to obtain food after germination, and then being very picky about which years to flower. There is a site near us where a few Heath Spotted Orchids (common) grow, along with a very occasional Heath Fragrant Orchid (rare). For some reason, this year, there are thousands of Heath Spotted and nothing else. An amazing sight and very mysterious.
#PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/721/253/105/176/730/original/082fb3ad13bc2486.jpg
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/721/253/115/067/469/original/d5e1b2143071ff86.jpg

2025-06-17 11:42:40 CEST

A carpet of Sea Pink (Armeria maritima) on the awesone island of Mingulay in the outer Hebrides. The yellow stuff covering the rocks is a lichen, likely Xanthoria sp.
#PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling #Hebrides #Mingulay
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/698/045/847/616/175/original/be1d360d72e5683f.jpg

2025-06-15 13:41:16 CEST

#SilentSunday
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/687/186/587/831/013/original/32afdff416e65ba3.jpg

2025-06-13 11:50:16 CEST

A loney Salicorna (Glasswort/Samphire) plant being ignored by th crowds on a Lindisfarne beach. (resumed daily posting after enforced offllinity)
#PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower #BloomScrolling
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/675/418/293/158/471/original/6fcc784022e85f54.jpg

2025-05-25 13:48:40 CEST

Heather, Calluna vulgaris, the commonest flower in Northumberland I'd imagine, excluding trees and grasses. This one is in it's natural habitat and not managed by bloody muir-burns and grousey types.
#PlantADay #Botany #Nature #Plant #Wildflower
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/568/297/449/680/456/original/a8be5b770e2e846e.jpg

2025-05-18 10:06:57 CEST

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if only Adobe, Topaz et al created Linux implementations of their photography software! And please don't suggest using Linux equivalents as there's nothing that comes close to the functionality and easy workflow for my usage. So my main machine stays W11, the laptop and reserve machine are going
Linux.

2025-05-07 09:20:52 CEST

Twenty-plume Moth, with wings more like a birds feathered wing, with 6 plumes on each forewing, hence its scientific name Alucita hexadactyla. UK's only Plume moth(I need to check the wording here), and it's larva feeds on Honeysuckle. Both common and beautiful. about 2cm across.
#Lepidoptera #Moth #PlumeMoth #Nature
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/465/325/113/775/667/original/5ad470631b06ac73.jpg

2025-04-04 11:03:20 CEST

I love this photo, taken by a Newcastle United FC official photographer from the open-topped bus that toured the city centre. That's our son in the football shirt with his family cheering the team from a 1st floor restaurant window (in the warm!)
#venstervrijdag #Fensterfreitag #WindowFriday #NUFC 'LeagueCup #Newcastle #Football #CarabaoCup #Cup
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/278/871/564/793/078/original/b4973e55691a92ab.jpg

2025-03-23 09:55:55 CET

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What else would you expect as an ever greater proportion of the nations wealth is transferred to the already wealthy? They are now sufficiently in control to apply cybernetics and call it a positive feedback loop.

2025-03-10 13:00:41 CET

#Film #BelieveInFilm #BlackAndWhite #B&W #FilmIsNotDead #FilmCameras #Film #Photography #Yorkshire #RobinHoodsBay
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/138/015/539/934/259/original/9934d301b7201471.jpg

2025-02-22 18:26:52 CET

This is an underrecorded species, which is worth keeping an eye out for in the early part of the year, Spring Hazelcup (Encoelia furfuracea). Look on dead hazel branches which still have the bark attached, and you may see this brown thing erupting out from under the bark.
#fungi #nature #woodland
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/048/694/523/665/271/original/abac1171cd20401e.jpg
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/114/048/694/541/319/778/original/aa4a8cea54f5801f.jpg
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2024-10-31 16:46:58 CET

The Rimside Beeches, lining an old drove road #Photography #Film #Olympus #OM #blackandwhitephotography #blackandwhite #Northumberland
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/113/402/808/943/129/669/original/73a3d7788570d920.jpg

2024-09-30 15:44:48 CEST

I've just got the scans back from my first B&W film for over 50 years. I'd gotten a Oly OM-1 from an auction + some lenses, mint condition. I have to say, I'm really happy with the results. Plenty to work on photographically, but the kit is performing 100%. Here's a "grab shot" as a pony trekking brigade came through Robin Hoods Bay. 1st is simply scanned, 2nd cropped and contrast changed. Film cheapo ISO 400. #BelieveInFilm #Film #blackandwhite
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/113/226/795/261/418/257/original/61cdeb8af2ae509f.jpg
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/113/226/795/270/147/368/original/4afcc46f42d957dc.jpg

2024-09-16 14:11:01 CEST

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https://davidallengreen.com/2024/09/how-taylor-swifts-endorsement-of-harris-and-walz-is-a-masterpiece-of-persuasive-prose-a-songwriters-practical-lesson-in-written-advocacy/

2024-08-08 20:59:07 CEST

An underrated little woodland plant, Enchangers Nightshade.
#plant #botany #photography #macro
https://files.mastodon.green/media_attachments/files/112/927/929/700/065/106/original/63205eda3d336e74.jpg
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