Ruth Starr-Keddle

Biological Flora of Britain and Ireland: Geranium sylvaticum* Geranium sylvaticum is a perennial forb of upland grasslands, woodlands and riverbanks in northern Britain, with scattered native occurrences also in Wales, central England and Northern Ireland. It h...

Our Biological Flora on Wood Crane's-bill is out in @journalofecology.bsky.social. besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... A team effort w/ @ruthsk.bsky.social @sandravarga.bsky.social @spp-rich.bsky.social @duncanwestbury.bsky.social, irina Tatarenko & artist Lucy Hulmes on pen and ink.

Lots of spring gentian and bird's-eye primrose on show at Cow Green reservoir at the moment, well worth the visit. #Teesdale #TeesdaleSpecialFlora #Teesdaleassemblage #wildflowers #naturelovers

Is this river alive? Robert Macfarlane on the lives, deaths and rights of our rivers As pollution levels hit record highs and fresh water becomes ‘the new oil’, is it time to radically reimagine our relationship to the natural world?

What follows if we imagine rivers as having lives, deaths––& even rights?
I wrote this essay about water & hope; imagining rivers “otherwise”; nature’s rights; grammars of animacy; & how our fate flows with that of rivers—& always has.
It’s from Is A River Alive?
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a...

www.leuphana.de/en/

Come work in our unique long-term grassland priority effect experiment, POEM, in the beautiful Lüneburg Heathland. PhD position available in my lab to start ASAP to see if sowing forbs or legumes early continues to affect root distribution.

Suffragette purple & harvest orange cover: an aerial abstract of fields.

Thrilled to announce my new book & reveal its stunning cover! Ghosts of the Farm - Two Women’s Journeys Through Time, Land & Community, published by the lovely @chelseagreenbooks.bsky.social in the UK & US, on 30th September. Available to pre-order now. It’s a delicious, urgent kind of haunting 1/5

Fury as Defra confirms sudden closure of SFI applications The government has confirmed it will stop accepting new applications for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme, a move which has sparked fury.

Labour has got rid of CS-mid Tier, and now SFI. These post-Brexit schemes delivered very little, if anything for the environment (and in the case of herbal leys actively damaged it) but channeled Defra funds to farmers, replacing the old EU Basic Payment Scheme. www.farminguk.com/news/fury-as...

The SFI Debacle. Lessons need to be learned, not only in Defra “Our Agri Environment approach is not sustainable, what happens when the money runs out? If you don’t provide the economic hooks, linking products to the environment then it will all unravel unless we...

For those interested in learning why Labour has abandoned the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme, this article by Geoff Sansome, who led the farming policy team at Natural England for 7 years, and knows what he's talking about on Agri-Environment, is worth a read. www.linkedin.com/pulse/sfi-de...

An image of a grassland with the text: "Grasslands store carbon, produce food and support our wildlife. But the UK Government has no strategic plan for them."

Did you know there is no dedicated team or person in Defra for grasslands, despite them covering 40% of England? 🤯

We're joining @plantlifeuk.bsky.social & partners in calling for the Gov to establish a Grassland Taskforce to unlock their value 🌱

Learn more: www.plantlife.org.uk/our-work/the...

A bumblebee dusted in yellow pollen sitting in a greyed-out flower. Text reads: 2024 was the worst year for bumblebees since records began.

It’s official, 2024 was the worst year for bumblebees since records began🚨

The latest findings from #BeeWalk, our national bumblebee monitoring scheme, have revealed bumblebee numbers declined by almost a quarter (22.5%) across Great Britain💔

Read on: www.bumblebeeconservation.org/british-bumb...

Beaver releases into wild to be allowed in England for first time in centuries Exclusive: Government to grant nature groups a licence for release of rodent species after earlier setbacks The release of beavers into English waterways is to be allowed for the first time in centuries, the Guardian can reveal. The environment…

Beaver releases into wild to be allowed in England for first time in centuries

Farmland in England to be reduced by more than 10% under government plans Grassland for livestock faces largest cut, so people will be encouraged to eat less meat, says environment secretary

It is correct that we should not simply pit food production against nature recovery

But nature friendly farming only benefits traditional farmland biodiversity

We also need separate, unfarmed land to benefit a wider range of species and habitats
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

A lush green farmland scene stretches into the distance under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds. In the foreground, a cluster of white and yellow wildflowers sways in the breeze. Overlaid on the sky, bold white text reads: "But farmers need support to be more nature-friendly." Below, smaller text explains that cutting the farming budget would mean cutting support for nature-friendly farming, which could harm both nature and the economy.

Across the UK, farmers are proving that farming and nature can thrive together. But they can’t do it alone.

If the UK Government slashes funding, we risk undoing all this progress.

A tinted portrait of Rachel Reeves, the UK Chancellor, is overlaid with bold white text reading: "Is Rachel Reeves about to defund nature?" Below, lime-green text warns that the UK Government might be cutting the farming budget, which would be disastrous for both farmers and nature.

Right now, the UK Government is considering cuts to the nature-friendly farming budget – the biggest pot of funding for nature.

Here’s why that would be a disaster for farmers, food security, and wildlife.

A thread. 🧵👇

Are you a younger naturalist passionate about nature? 🐝💡

Thanks to the support of the Reece Foundation, this year, you could be engaging in a Field Skills Programme dedicated to developing your skills in natural history.

Find out more and apply ⬇️

www.nhsn.org.uk/field-identi... #NHSNFieldSkills

A day late for #NationalSnowdropDay but I found a gorgeous white mass of them today so had to post! #snowdrops #naturebeauty

Donate to Support our wildflower and tree nursery in the Duddon Valley, organized by Restoring Hardknott Forest Can you help us build a community nursery to grow rare wildfl… Restoring Hardknott Forest needs your support for Support our wildflower and tree nursery in the Duddon Valley

Can you help us build a community nursery to grow rare wildflowers, trees and shrubs?

We have an area we can use for a nursery & we now need to buy equipment such as raised beds, polytunnels and tools.

Many thanks.

@envleeds.bsky.social @cumbriawildlife.bsky.social

gofund.me/7f214dcd

Job opportunity - Community Engagement Trainee.
Looking for a traineeship to develop your skills and knowledge to enable you to assist with planning, preparing and delivering community engagement and education projects across the #NorthPennines?
http://bit.ly/NorthPenninesNationalLandscapejobs
#jobs

Rural boost: Government injects nearly £350 million into farming in boost to Britain’s food security Government injects £343 million of funding into the rural economy last week, benefiting more than 31,000 farmers.

THREAD🌾Defra latest announcement claims they have injected £343M into UK Farming last week, are working on a 25 year roadmap and are relaunching Higher tier in 2025🌾BUT whats behind the headlines - lets get into it 🧵 www.gov.uk/government/n...

Where are all the insects? Can you really have a picnic without wasps these days? And is it true there are fewer bees and butterflies than before?

BBC Farming Today reports that the Office for Environmental Protection believes Defra may have broken environmental laws in 2023/2024…

…by allowing neonicotinoid pesticides known to be harmful to bees & insects. The last govt gave emergency authorisation for use on sugar beet for last 4 years.

I've been to meet the truly remarkable botanist Dr Margaret Bradshaw.

The 98-year-old has been recording the flora in Teesdale for decades and we talked about plants, legacy, and how the area has adapted to a changing climate.

You can see the full report here:

www.itv.com/watch/news/a...

Sown wildflower meadows: Can they replace natural meadows in urban spaces for bees, butterflies and hoverflies? Areas with sown wildflower meadows, which are usually small areas, concentrate pollinating insects and have a similar value for pollinators as larger areas of natural meadows The abundance and diver...

Interesting new research quantifying the value of sowing small meadow areas in cities:
resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...