#WildlifeTrust

Day 4 of the 2023 #dragonfly #AdventCalendar Time for our first #damselfly and it's the Large Red, which is generally the earliest to emerge each year in April. This one was at the great #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust reserve #Ravensroost Meadows, in early June. #DragonflyAdventCalendar #wildlife #insects #wildlifephotography #invertebrates

A small, needle-shaped insect sits on a leaf in a sunny spot. The photo is taken from directly above it. The head and thorax are black with red eyes, the long thin abdomen is mainly bright red with some black markings towards the tail end.

Rainton Meadows Country Park at Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland in North East England. Winter may officially be three weeks away, but it's feeling like autumn has already left the building.
This stretch of water, 'Joe's Pond', was named after a local man, Joe Wilson, who championed the pond becoming a nature reserve after it's life as a clay pit ended.
It is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

#England #Wildlifetrust #landscape #autumn #winter #photography

'Joe's Pond', a former clay pit, now part of Rainton Meadows Country Park in Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland in North East England.
This view taken as the season of autumn begins to wind down for winter (although it's feeling as if winter is already here). A low angle sun, struggling to be seen through the cold mists hanging over the water.

Day 2 of the 2023 #dragonfly #AdventCalendar and today we have a Keeled Skimmer, a classic species of bogs and wet heaths throughout the UK. This one was at the wonderful #Devon #WildlifeTrust reserve at Bystock Pools in August. #DragonflyAdventCalendar #wildlife #insects #wildlifephotography #invertebrates

A blue dragonfly sunbathing on the ground, specifically on a board from a boardwalk provided to allow visitors to walk across a bog without damaging the habitat.

Herb Robert for #WildflowerHour. At the
#Norfolk #WildlifeTrust reserve at Hickling Broad last Sunday. Not many birds about, but I saw cranes in the distance and heard them close up so I left happy. #Bloomscrolling #plants #flowers #wildflowers #photography

A small pink flower with 5 petals.

It's only just starting to be properly autumn, but this Hazel is already thinking about spring, with catkins in bud. #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust #Ravensroost Wood yesterday. #WildflowerHour #Bloomscrolling #botany #plants #flowers #wildflowers #plantscience #photography

Very small buds shaped like catkins, attached to a twig which still has this year's leaves on. These are the buds of next year's catkins.

Unsolicited Fleabane pic. My apologies that there's no hoverfly sat on it. There's supposed to be a hoverfly, but none of them wanted to play yesterday. At the #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust reserve #Ravensroost Meadows. #WildflowerHour #Bloomscrolling #botany #plants #flowers #wildflowers #plantscience #photography

A yellow flower shaped like a daisy but with the centre larger relative to the ring of outer petals.

Another one from the #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust #Ravensroost wood nature reserve on Thursday. Devil's Bit Scabious growing in a grassy bit beside the main path. #WildflowerHour #Bloomscrolling #botany #plants #flowers #wildflowers #plantscience #photography

A flower head with a dense cluster of pale purple flowers. The flower head is convex, almost spherical.

One for the #WildflowerHour #seeds challenge - Common Spotted Orchid. This was at the #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust #Ravensroost wood nature reserve on Thursday. #Bloomscrolling #botany #plants #flowers #wildflowers #plantscience #photography

A thin flower-spike where all the flowers have been replaced by brown seed pods. The remains of the leaves aren't visible in the photo as they are at ground level.

J.Sʜᴀʀᴘ🌍💙Fʀᴇᴇᴅᴏᴍ💛Dᴇᴍᴏᴄʀᴀᴄʏ

🌳 A #rewilding project has led to the return of a number of bird species that are in critical decline.

Seven birds on the #Conservation Concern Red List have been spotted at #WildWoodbury in #Dorset.

#Dorset #WildlifeTrust has been transforming the 170 hectare (420 acre) former agricultural site, near Bere Regis, since acquiring it in 2021.

The charity said it had logged more than 1,600 species on the nature reserve - 300 more than last year.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-66843416

Let's have another #dragonfly photo. This is a Common Darter, at the #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust reserve at #LowerMoorFarm on Friday. #insects #wildlife #wildlifephotography #odonata

A small dragonfly sits on a nettle leaf. Its abdomen is an orange-red colour, the side of its thorax has broad yellow stripes.

Did I mention there was a Lesser Emperor #dragonfly at #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust #LowerMoorFarm on Friday? Showing very nicely right in front of the cafe. I recommend the lemon drizzle cake. #insects #wildlife #wildlifephotography #odonata

A dragonfly with dull brown thorax and abdomen, but a bright blue "saddle" between the two. It has bright green eyes. It is flying above the surface of a lake. The reflection of a stick is visible behind it.

Time for a #dragonfly photo. This is Brown Hawker which had been laying eggs and had just taken off. The first time I've managed to get a photo of this species in flight. At #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust #LowerMoorFarm on Friday while I waited for the Lesser Emperor to show. #insects #wildlife #wildlifephotography #odonata

A large brown dragonfly flying a few inches above the surface of a lake. Some of the veins in the wings are brown, creating a golden colour where the wings are blurred because they are beating too fast for the camera.

The #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust reserve at #LowerMoorFarm. Come for the Lesser Emperor dragonfly, stay for the plants. This one's Cut-leaved Cranesbill. #WildflowerHour #Bloomscrolling #botany #plants #flowers #wildflowers #plantscience #photography

A plant whose green leaves are divided into several very thin lobes. The flower is small and is bright pink.

A sort-of lifer: I'll have seen it loads of times without realising it was Western Gorse instead of the common species. At the #Devon #WildlifeTrust reserve #BystockPools on Monday. #WildflowerHour #Bloomscrolling #botany #plants #flowers #wildflowers #plantscience #photography

A very spiny plant with bright yellow flowers.

Kent #rewilding project awarded £100,000: https://bit.ly/3YuC4HV #conservation #WildlifeTrust #Blean

The #WhiteForm of Musk Mallow growing at the #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust reserve at #BlakehillFarm on Friday. #WildflowerHour #Bloomscrolling #botany #plants #flowers #wildflowers #plantscience #photography

Large white flowers with pink anthers in the middle.

Occasional Pictures of Ducks

Cracking day out #birding with a friend, if a bit high carbon for my usual tastes. Three cranes (twice), a bittern in flight (twice) and up to four marsh harriers at a time at #WillowTreeFen, followed by tea and brunch at #RSPBFrampton where we saw crowds of spoonbills, avocets & black-winged stilts, plus yellow wagtail, a ruff, sandmartins, another marsh harrier, little grebes… #duck wise, mallards; pochard; teal; shelduck & a pintail…

#Birding #BirdsSeenIn2023 #WildlifeTrust #RSPB

Greater Knapweed. Finally found this species in #Wiltshire - I've looked at any number of knapweeds with ray florets which turned out to be the rayed form of either Common or Lesser. At #CloutsWood, a local #WildlifeTrust reserve. #WildflowerHour #Bloomscrolling #botany #plants #flowers #wildflowers #plantscience #photography

A plant whose flower stems have been bent over horizontal. The flowers are purple and thistle-like, but not spiny. The bracts of the flower-head under the flowers are green rather than brown, and almost circular.

Long-term followers may have noticed that I'm rather fond of thistles. This one is Welted Thistle, at #LowerMoorFarm #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust reserve during the week. #WildflowerHour #Bloomscrolling #botany #plants #flowers #wildflowers #plantscience #photography

A very spiny plant stem, at the top of which are several purple flowers

This week's challenge for #WildflowerHour was the #DaisyFamily. Which is handy as I was at #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust #CloutsWood on Thursday, which has lots of Woolly Thistle, without doubt the best flower in the daisy family. Awesome things.
#Wroughton #Swindon #Wiltshire #Bloomscrolling #botany #plants #flowers #wildflowers #plantscience #photography

A very large thistle flower. Two bumble bees have almost disappeared into it. Below the florets, the flower head is covered in fine hairs (hence the name "woolly").

I’m hosting a FREE #ForestGarden introductory workshop, run by #Birmingham & #BlackCountry #WildlifeTrust,

Wed 19 July 6pm-8pm

Create your own Wildlife Friendly Forest Garden: An Online Workshop
A 1 hour talk, focussed around #NativePlants, #foraging, leading in to the #Wildlife #ForestGarden

Limited spaces
https://www.bbcwildlife.org.uk/events/2023-07-19-create-your-own-wildlife-friendly-forest-garden-online-workshop

@craiggrannell @simon Plantlife has tips on encouraging wild flowers in gardens:
https://www.plantlife.org.uk/simple-ways-to-increase-the-number-of-wildflowers-in-your-lawn/

And almost certainly your local Wildlife Trust will have suggestions for practical ways to encourage insects etc in your garden.
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/

#Plantlife #WildlifeTrust #wildGarden

It isn't truly high summer until I've seen my first White Admiral, which is my favourite #butterfly by quite a distance. I can confirm that as of yesterday it is now high summer. This one at the #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust reserve #Ravensroost Woods. #insects #wildlife #wildlifephotography #odonata

A large, slightly tatty, butterfly sits on a leaf basking in sunlight. It has blotchy white lines across the middle of both its upper and lower wings; otherwise it is uniformly dark in colour.

Another #Dragonfly photo for #DragonflyWeek. This is a Common Darter, sunbathing on a path at the #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust reserve #Ravensroost Woods yesterday. #insects #wildlife #wildlifephotography #odonata

A dragonfly, mainly yellow in colour, sits on a gravel path. Its eye are brown on top, greenish-yellow below, and its legs are black with bright yellow stripes along the length of each leg.

Its always a red letter day when I see Goatsbeard in flower. Not that it's at all rare, just that it only flowers in the morning, closing up after just one morning per flower, and I'm really not a morning person. At
#Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust
#BlakehillFarm on Wednesday. #WildflowerHour #Bloomscrolling #botany #plants #flowers #wildflowers #plantscience #photography

A yellow flower shaped a bit like a dandelion, with small black flecks among the yellow petals. Behind the petals is a ring of 8 green sepals, about half as long again as the petals.

Nothing rare at the #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust reserve at #LowerMoorFarm today, unless you count the Downy Emerald dragonfly that refused to pose for a photo, but several plants that were worth a close-up. Goosegrass, aka Cleavers (the fruits are very familiar, the flowers less so), Hedge Mustard, Silverweed and Cut-leaved Cranesbill. #WildflowerHour #Bloomscrolling #botany #plants #flowers #wildflowers #plantscience #photography

Familiar leaves with spiny hooks which cling to clothing if you're not careful, There are some tiny four-petalled flowers.

Tiny four-petalled yellow flowers in a cluster on the end of a stem which has some developing seed pods.

Yellow rose-like flowers against a background of leaves which are a silvery-green colour, from which Silverweed gets its name.

A plant with small pink flowers and leaves which are divided into lots of thin segments.

River Wey Trust

Installing a mammal footprint trap at the meadow. #mink #otter #watervole #WildlifeTrust

Setting a mamal footprint tunnel trap in the River Wey

Sunrise at Woods Mill Nature Reserve.

This is the lake at the site of the HQ for the Sussex Wildlife Trust, near Henfield, Sussex, UK.

I usually follow back, and really appreciate and often follow boosters & likers.

#Henfield #Sunrise #WildLifeTrust #Lake #Nature #Landscape #LandscapePhotography #Sussex #BeautifulEngland #Photography #LandscapesOfMastodon #Reflection

Image of trees reflected in a lake on a clear sunny day, just after sunrise. The lake has patches of floating waterlilies, and a few small overhanging branches in the foreground.

Occasional Pictures of Ducks

I accidentally deleted the second half of my #Introduction so trying again-
"Occasional" pictures of #ducks sometimes days apart others several in a day. Mostly #mallards as they're most common locally and I mostly practice #LowCarbonBirding. I'm interested in #Ecology, #Birds, #Birdwatching, #Birding, #WildFowl
Depressed by #ClimateCrisis, #Ecocide, #Overdevelopment, #Politics
Cheered by #Rewilding, #Nature, #Cycling, being a #BadBirdwatcher
Member of the #RSPB, #WWT and #WildlifeTrust

This is a picture of #Spring, a #Blackcap perching on the new years growth. It was happy to stay and sing as long as no-one moved. Croxall Lakes Staffordshire.

#Birds #Nature #NaturePhotography #RSPB #BirdPhotograpy #BirdsSeenIn2023 #WildlifeTrust

A picture of Spring with a Blackcap perching on a branch with new buds and leaves starting to grow

The rookery at Croxall Lakes is very loud and busy now.

#Birds #Nature #NaturePhotography #RSPB #BirdPhotograpy #BirdsSeenIn2023 #WildlifeTrust

A #Rook fanning its tail by the rookery, Croxall Lakes, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust

#Birds #Nature #NaturePhotography #RSPB #BirdPhotograpy #BirdsSeenIn2023 #WildlifeTrust

I went to the #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust reserve at #Ravensroost wood on Friday, specifically to look for False Oxlip. And here it is. It's a hybrid of Cowslip and Primrose, which has large flowers like a primrose but on the end of a stalk like a cowslip. #WildflowerHour #WoodlandPlants #botany #plants #flowers #wildflowers #plantscience #photography

A plant with pale creamy-yellow flowers on the end of stalks sticking up above the ground. The leaves are at ground level like a primrose.

The results of a trip to the #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust reserve at #Ravensroost wood on Friday. Wood Anemone, Barren Strawberry, Dog Violet and Lesser Celandine. All are specialised #WoodlandPlants in the UK although the latter two do grow out in the open as well. #botany #plants #flowers #wildflowers #plantscience #photography

A fairly large white flower with long petals. In the background is a half-open one of the same species.

A small white flower with the petals separated so that the green sepals can be seen through the gaps.

Pale mauve flowers with irregularly-shaped petals. One is seen side-on, showing a spur shape at the back of the flower. In the background are some small white flowers of barren strawberry.

A bright yellow flower with long petals.

Scozmos - moved to Birdon

"And far from flying high in clear blue skies
I'm spiralling down to the hole in the ground where I hide"
See more at
https://www.flickr.com/gp/scozmos/Y3JX2DFL9N
#frog #toads #spring #spawn #nature #naturephotography #scotland #wildlifetrust

Toad / Frog face peering out of the pond through green chickweed, the water is sky blue

A close-up of Common Whitlowgrass for #WildflowerHour. Seen in the car park of #Hampshire #WildlifeTrust #BlashfordLakes yesterday. #botany #plants #flowers #wildflowers #plantscience #photography

Small white flowers which look like they have eight thin petals each, but actually there are four, each split into two parts.

Three spring flowers and one all-year one, all at #Hampshire #WildlifeTrust #BlashfordLakes yesterday. Gorse, Snowdrop, Wild Daffodil and Primrose. The Primprose looks to have had an argument with some local slugs. #WildflowerHour #botany #plants #flowers #wildflowers #plantscience #photography

Yellow flowers with complex shapes, on the end of a very spiny green stem. The sepals are also yellow, the same colour as the petals, distinguished by being hairy.

Plants whose leaves stick up from the ground, drooping at the tips. The flower stalks stick up slightly higher, with a single white flower hanging downwards from each stalk.

Tall plants whose leaves stick up vertically from the ground. They have yellow flowers, each with a darker yellow trumpet surrounded by paler petals.

Several cream-coloured flowers with yellow centres and five petal. Some of the flowers have bits missing, where they were chewed while still in buds.

For #WildflowerHour this week, something I haven't seen for years - Wild Daffodil. It's really unusual to find them growing in woodlands in the UK. This was at the #Hampshire #WildlifeTrust reserve at #BlashfordLakes where they put up a sign to advise visitors that these are wild daffodils left here from before the lakes were dug. #botany #plants #flowers #wildflowers #plantscience #photography

A daffodil, the pale outer petals being relatively small compared to normal garden daffodils.

TIL about the #GreatNorthWood project in #London, only a short distance from where I live 🌳

The aim is to try and resurrect (as much as possible) an ancient #woodland that would have stretched from the Thames to #Croydon (yes, the Great North Wood is confusingly in the south of London 😂), which still has remnant pockets knocking about in a few places.

That certainly explains where names like Norwood and Forest Hill come from!

Learn more from the London #WildlifeTrust:
https://www.wildlondon.org.uk/great-north-wood

Day 22 of the 2022 #dragonfly #AdventCalendar. Keeled Skimmer is a classic species of bogs and moorlands, pretty much anywhere in the UK. The males (but not the females) look similar to Black-tailed Skimmer which is more generalist in its habitat choices. This one was at one of my favourite places, the #Devon #WildlifeTrust #Bystock Pools nature reserve, in July. #wildlife #insects #wildlifephotography

A dragonfly with a pale blue abdomen, sitting on a dead plant stem.

Day 17 of the 2022 #dragonfly #AdventCalendar. Today we're back at #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust #Ravensroost Meadows for Common Emerald #damselfly, which sadly is getting rather less common in the UK but is still quite widespread. This pair have mated and are about to start laying eggs. #wildlife #insects #wildlifephotography

Two green damselflies cling to a rush. The male has blue eyes and blue patches at the top and bottom of the abdomen. The female has brown eyes and no blue patches. The male has grasped the top of the female's thorax with the tip of his abdomen.

Day 15 of the 2022 #dragonfly #AdventCalendar. The Common Blue #damselfly is very blue, and very common. In some places you may encounter swarms of them. This was at the #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust orchid nature reserve at #ClattingerFarm, in the Cotswold Water Park, in June. The CWP is a great place for this species. #wildlife #insects #wildlifephotography

A needle-shaped blue and black insect sat on a leaf. It has broad blue stripes on top of its thorax, where other blue damselflies in the UK have narrow stripes.

Day 14 of the 2022 #dragonfly #AdventCalendar. Ruddy Darter looks quite like Common Darter, especially the females. Males are very bright red and have a "waist" in the abdomen. This one was at #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust #Ravensroost Meadows in August. #wildlife #insects #wildlifephotography

A bright red dragonfly, the abdomen slightly thinner in the middle than at either end, with black legs which don't have pale stripes on them.

Day 5 of the 2022 #dragonfly #AdventCalendar. Small Red #damselfly is smaller and redder than the Large Red which is familiar in gardens. It sticks to wild, boggy places, such as here at the wonderful #Devon #WildlifeTrust reserve at #Bystock Pools. #wildlife #insects #wildlifephotography

A small, red, needle-shaped insect sitting on a bog plant. Its thorax is black, its abdomen and eyes are red and the legs have a pink tinge.

Day 2 of the 2022 #dragonfly #AdventCalendar - today we have the aptly-named Emperor, the common, large blue & green dragonflies that often dominate all but the smallest UK ponds in high summer. Here a female is laying eggs at #Wiltshire #WildlifeTrust #Ravensroost Meadows in June. #wildlife #insects #wildlifephotography

A large dragonfly sat on a leaf on the surface of a pond, her abdomen curved so its tip is under water.

Debbie_Tann 🌱🐝🦔🦋🐞🐬🦡🌼

If you live in #Hampshire or the #IsleofWight you might like to consider supporting your local #WildlifeTrust 💚💚 https://www.hiwwt.org.uk/support-us 💚💚