Sarah

Wow - that's fantastic! 😃

Poster for talk - Weymouth Swift Town Project

Really looking forward to hearing more about local initiatives to help Swifts at this talk tonight.

I always look forward to the arrival of Swifts each year, and with the installation of extra nest boxes for them around the town, I think this year will be particularly exciting.

Lovely photos, Phil.
Really enjoyed watching this beautiful bird this morning - what a fab start to the week.

Blackthorn blossom in Dorset hedgerow.

Such a lovely sight, when the Blackthorn blossom covers the hedgerows. I'm a little further south than you, Jan, and ours are now just coming into flower, much to the delight of the Peacock butterflies.

So beautiful!

Wood forget me not, musk stork's bill, Greater Periwinkle, red dead nettle, common Field Speedwell, red Clover

My final 6 so of flower for this week (taking me to 25) added some lovely rich colours to my collection - the deep blue of the Wood Forget-me-not was quite stunning.

Really looking forward to next week's #wildflowerhour challenge.

#thewinter10

Three cornered leek, danish Scurvygrass, Blackthorn, daisy, cow parsley, common chickweed and shepherds purse

I also found 7 species of white flowering plants (out of my 25 for #thewinter10).

Loving the Blackthorn blossom particularly. And two clumps of Danish Scurvygrass - a healthy patch (top middle) looking lush, and a purple coloured plant growing on a wall (presumably under stress).

#wildflowerhour

Dandelion, Common Ragwort, Spotted Meddick, Smooth Sow-thistle, Lesser Celandine, Gorse, Groundsel ,Annual Mercury, Petty Spurge, Alexanders, Annual Meadow Grass.

As it's the last #thewinter10 I set myself an extra challenge...how many flowers I could find on my local 10 minute loop.

Turned out there has been an explosion of flowering, so my 10 minute walk took 25 minutes - with 25 species found!

Here are 12 yellow and green flowers for #wildflowerhour.

A selection of fungi found in Puddletown Forest

Happy #FungiFriday! 🍄

Plenty of fabulous #Fungi to be found in Puddletown Forest, Dorset this week.

Appropriately for the location, many of the fungi were holding little puddles of rain water on their slightly inverted caps.

Also loving the Turkeytail growing kebab-style up a narrow trunk.

Super cute! 😍

Been really looking forward to this book, so got myself a copy on Thursday and I just love it - so informative, and really rather beautiful as well. Can't wait to get out and put it to practical use...roll on the summer! 🦗

A Snuggle of Snails for #MolluscMonday...
...this gang of gastropods are overwintering high off the ground, on the sheltered side of a tree trunk in Radipole Woods. 🐌

Gorgeous, delicate deadhead in Puddletown Forest. Unsure of ID, maybe Selfheal?

Gorse, Alexanders (with fly in attendance), Cherry Plum, Daffodil, Snowdrop, Lesser Celendine, Primrose, Dandelion, Groundsel, and, on my doorstep - Shepherd's Purse.

A woodland walk, plus an urban plant helped me notch up #thewinter10 this week:
Gorse, Alexanders (with fly), Cherry Plum, Daffodil, Snowdrop, Lesser Celendine, Primrose, Dandelion, Groundsel, and doorstep Shepherd's Purse.

Also saw this gorgeously delicate deadhead (Selfheal??) 😍

#wildflowerhour

I always look forward to the annual Butterfly Trends meetings, and today's was, as usual, brilliant.
Thank you to all the speakers (and those who pull the data together) for a really fascinating afternoon. 🦋

Turkeytail fungi growing from a dead tree stump in Dorset woodland, surrounded by brown fallen leaves.

A group of Glistening Inkcap fungi, in the sun, growing in the shelter of a brickwall in Dorset

Just a couple of #fungi finds to share this week.

A lovely clump of Glistening Inkcaps positively glowing in the sunshine, and some always-fabulous Turkeytail surrounded by fallen leaves.

Happy #fungifriday! 🍄

Tree in woodland at Kingston Lacy, Dorset, trunk forms a triangular cut out shape.

Giving legs akimbo vibes*, I came across this unusually shaped tree in the woodland at Kingston Lacy, Dorset. #ThickTrunkThursday. 🪾

*the tree, not me!! 😂

I love this guide and the other resources. So useful. Thank you. 😃

My attention was caught by a stunning display of blossom as I was driving home. A cheeky stop for a closer look revealed it was Cherry Plum, gorgeous flowers with reflexed sepals.

A fab bonus from my unplanned stop - this Fox contemplating and eventually crossing the flooded path.
#wildflowerhour

A welcome break in the weather yesterday with clear blue skies and glorious sunshine - perfect for some serious Snowdrop appreciation.
Thousands of gorgeous white flowers carpeting the woodland floor - simply magical. 🤍
#wildflowerhour

Long-tailed Tit silhouetted in tree.

Such a pretty picture, Jan.

I tried my hand at some bird silhouette pics recently - there was a flock of about a dozen Long-tailed Tits busily feeding overhead. Took lots of pics, but only ever got one bird in view at a time 🫣.
Though maybe that's a skill in itself, missing the birds?! 😂

In flower around my local walk, Weymouth 8.2.26 Lots of gorgeous gorse, with views of The Fleet lagoon behind. Red Dead-nettle, Hairy bitter-cress, Annual Mercury, Groundsel in the road gutter, Annual meadow-grass, Dandelion, Shepherd's Purse with jazz hands. Petty Spurge growing out from a door. Pretty Daisy with pink highlights. And a non-floral bonus - empty Whelk egg cases blown up onto the footpath in the stormy weather. Also blown ashore, mermaids purses, and the sole of a shoe!

A wet grey week but still lots of fab flowers for #wildflowerhour

Loved this Shepherd's Purse giving big jazz hands, gorgeous Gorse & pretty pink-tipped Daisy.

Also Petty Spurge in a door, Annual Meadow Grass, Groundsel, Hairy Bitter-cress, Red Dead-nettle, Annual Mercury, Dandelion #thewinter10

Two teeny bugs on Witches Butter/Yellow Brain fungus. In woods at Spring Bottom, Dorset. 18.1.26. Possibly a type of Globular Springtail? But really don't know. Any ideas gratefully received!

My bugs were like your left hand one.
Here's a zoomed in pic of the two I saw, no scale sadly.
I hope someone at your local NH Soc. may know - it would be exciting to solve the mystery. 😃
Either way, they're pretty cool and I'll be sure to look more closely for these in future

I noticed your Yellow Brain Fungus has little visitors....I zoomed in as I took a photo recently of Witches Butter too and only saw the teeny creatures on checking my pics at home afterwards. I think they may be a type of Globular Springtail, which feed on this, but I'm not really sure. Do you know?

Me too!!! 😅

Beautiful! ☀️

Beautiful pictures! 😍

Snowdrops, female hazel flowers (erupting from base if bud), dandelion, common field speedwell, rainbow, red dead nettle, shepherd's Purse, scarlet elf cup, make hazel catkins, Groundsel, white deadnettle at Ham Wall / Shapwick, Somerset 31.1.26

First #wildflowerhour of February! 🌸

My #thewinter10 this week: Snowdrops, Red & White Dead-nettles, Common Field Speedwell, Dandelion, Groundsel, Shepherds Purse, ♂️&♀️ hazel, & purple catkins (Alder? no pic).

One strange♀️hazel flower was erupting from the bud base!

Plus some Scarlet Elf Cups 🍄

A hollowed out ancient Yew tree in an English churchyard (Hampshire).

A beautiful old Yew tree in a churchyard. It's trunk slowly hollowing out as it ages and the heartwood rots away. The outer sapwood remains enabling these trees to live for hundreds, even thousands, of years.

This gorgeous, girthy tree seems perfect for #thicktrunkthursday. 🪾

The River Piddle at Puddletown, Dorset 25.1.26. Yellow Corydalis, Daisy, Primrose, Snowdrops, ♂️catkins and ♀️Hazel flowers, Annual Mercury, Annual Meadow Grass, Red Dead-nettle & Lesser Celendine.

A comedy place name for this week's #wildflowerhour. The River Piddle 🤭 gave wet feet & #thewinter10 Yellow Corydalis, Daisy, Primrose, Snowdrop, ♂️♀️ Hazel, Annual Mercury, Annual Meadow Grass, Red Dead-nettle & Lesser Celendine.
After the fab Steps musical yday was unsure I'd get past 5, 6, 7, 8!! 😂

Fungi at Spring Bottom, Dorset. Jelly Ear, Yellow Brain (zoom in to see some tiny creatures....maybe Springtails??), Turkeytail, Velvet Shank, Dead Moll's Fingers, Coral Spot, and lots of wonderful Scarlet (or Ruby) Elf Cups.

Happy #FungiFriday!
Delighted with my first Scarlet Elf Cups this year. Other highlights from the wonderfully named Spring Bottom, Dorset: a perfect Jelly Ear, Coral Spot, Velvet Shank, Yellow Brain (with tiny Springtails present?) and some spooky Dead Moll's Fingers. What a great #fungi walk. 🍄