#Wildflowerhour Male catkins of Hazel, Corylus avellana on the edge of woodland near Monmouth.

#Wildflowerhour A pin-eyed Primrose, Primula vulgaris braves the rain on a trackside bank near Monmouth.

#Wildflowerhour This Dandelion, Taraxacum agg brightened my walk near Monmouth. It was one of very few plants in flower.

#Wildflowerhour Red Dead-nettle, Lamium purpureum was a frequent find on my #NewYearPlantHunt. This one was on the top of a dry stone wall. Near Monmouth.

#Wildflowerhour Barren Strawberry, Potentilla sterilis shines out in the gloom and wind. Dry stone wall crevice near Monmouth.

#Wildflowerhour I think this is Cow Parsley, Anthriscus sylvestris: bracteoles are oval and pointed, leaves are finely cut and the stems are furrowed. Happy to be corrected. Path edge Tintern, Monmouthshire. #WildflowerID Thank you.

A reminder that there's free things. Free! 📚📘👨🏻‍🏫👩🏼‍🏫📖📗📔 #ProjectGutenberg #Library #reading #bookclub #literature #classics #eBooks @oldladyhembrew.bsky.social 📚

#Wildflowerhour Not many wild flowers have survived recent rain but the Daisy, Bellis perennis continues to brighten my walks. A grassy track near Monmouth.

#Wildflowerhour Winter Heliotrope, Petasites pyrenaicus spreading down a roadside near Monmouth.

#Wildflowerhour Hogweed, Heracleum sphondylium in flower on a trackway despite rain, wind and frost. Near Monmouth.

#Wildflowerhour Hedge Woundwort, Stachys sylvatica in a village hedgerow near Monmouth.

#Wildflowerhour Bush Vetch, Vicia sepium survived Storm Claudia at the base of a hedgebank near Monmouth.

Dive into autumn leaves with today's @theguardian.com country diary by Phil Gates. #countrydiary #naturewriting

2,000 crimes against wildlife were reported last year, with just 2% of these leading to convictions (exc fisheries) ⚖️ We need wildlife crime to be notifiable to the Home Office, to aid police response & ensure justice for nature 👮♀️ Read more 👇 www.wcl.org.uk/wildlife-cri...

#Wildflowerhour Tutsan, Hypericum androsaemum has survived wind and rain on a woodland ride near Monmouth.

21 easy projects to help wildlife in your garden - you don't have to do them all, even just a few of these make a huge difference! www.wildway.info/p/21-ideas-s...

#Wildflowerhour A late flowering Welsh Poppy, Papaver cambricum on a shady, rocky and steep woodland bank near Monmouth.

#Wildflowerhour Greater Celandine, Chelidonium majus at the base of a wall in Tintern, Monmouthshire. It has been present in Britain since Roman times, so perhaps was seen by the monks of Tintern Abbey.

#Wildflowerhour Lamium album, White Dead-nettle frequent near Monmouth. The raised position on the hillside here made it possible to get a good view of the anthers.

$5.9bn = the amount spent annually on protecting and restoring forests $409bn = the amount of subsidies going to agriculture industries destroying forests Anyone else see the problem here?

#Wildflowerhour Red Valerian, Centranthus ruber frequent on village walls near Monmouth.

What frightens me most about Halloween cobwebs isn’t how they look…..it’s that they catch the living. Enjoy the season, but keep the plastic webs indoors; or skip them altogether.

The Speckled Wood is unique in its ability to spend the winter as either a chrysalis or a caterpillar 🐛💤 Letting your grass grow long and leaving some dead plants is a great way to support this beautiful species throughout its lifecycle. 📷: Iain Cowe, Bob Eade, Andrew Cooper

#Wildflowerhour Herb-Robert, Geranium robertianum is a frequent and welcome sight on my woodland walks near Monmouth.

#Wildflowerhour A long established and extensive patch of Sowbread, Cyclamen hederifolium on a roadside verge near Monmouth. The coiled stems will release the ripe seeds onto the soil.

#Wildflowerhour Ivy, Hedera helix in a hedgerow near Monmouth.

Close to my heart as well. Have just signed and hope others do too.

#Wildflowerhour A #FavouritePlant of mine Euphrasia, Eyebrights. This group is growing on the edge of a woodland ride near Monmouth.

Alzheimer's blood test could 'revolutionise' diagnosis. 🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

#Wildflowerhour #Seedheads Hedge Woundwort, Stachys sylvatica is abundant on a woodland ride I walk near Monmouth. The seeds when they fall from the plant will start to germinate next spring.

“The dense interconnectedness of the human family… means that in terms of our biology, there are no different races. We can all claim ancestry from across the world. Nevertheless, our politics is obsessed with distinctions based on national identity…” Gaia’s article more relevant than ever:

#Wildflowerhour #fruits Blackberries, fruit of Bramble, Rubus fruticosus agg have been eaten since Neolithic times. Here on a woodland ride near Monmouth.

This is evidence of the Nazification of the US: more than 600 books have been banned in Florida. One of them is Anne Frank's diary. This is part of a broader, nationwide censorship drive against teachings about race, gender & diversity. If this continues, entire sections of history will be erased.

#Wildflowerhour #GentianFamily Common Centaury, Centaurium erythraea frequent on a woodland ride near Monmouth.

#Wildflowerhour #DaisyFamily Hemp-agrimony, Eupatorium cannabinum on the edge of a woodland ride near Monmouth.

#WildWebsWednesday A Speckled Wood butterfly, Pararge aegeria resting on Nettle on the edge of a lane through woodland. Monmouth area.

#Wildflowerhour Wild Carrot, Daucus carota frequent on the footpath at Runnymede on the River Thames. As this is a native plant I like to think of it growing there when the Magna Carta was signed and sealed in June 1215.

#Wildflowerhour Wild Angelica, Angelica sylvestris on the damp edge of a woodland ride near Monmouth.

#Wildflowerhour #DeadNettleFamily Wild Marjoram, Origanum vulgare frequent on verges near Monmouth.

You can only pick one. Which one?

#WildWebsWednesday A Jersey Tiger moth, Euplagia quadripunctaria resting on Bramble on a footpath edge in Lydney, Gloucestershire.

#WildWebsWednesday A Common Blue, Polyommatus icarus in a meadow area near Monmouth.

One quick thing to do to help keep us all #SAFER from impacts of climate breakdown? Please sign & share @climatemajority.bsky.social petition urging government to invest more in #climate adaptation. 100,000 signatures triggers likely debate in parliament 🤞 petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...

#Wildflowerhour Great Willowherb, Epilobium hirsutum on the edge of a woodland ride near Monmouth. It has the cross-shaped stigma but there appear to be five spreading lobes. Apparently this happens occasionally. #WildflowerID

#Wildflowerhour #hairyplants Enchanter's Nightshade, Circaea lutetiana abundant in woodland near Monmouth. Stems have a few glandular hairs and hairs on the fruits are hooked.

#WildWebsWednesday Many caterpillars of the Cinnabar moth, Tyria jacobaeae feeding on Common Ragwort on a lane verge near Monmouth.

#Wildflowerhour Common Mallow, Malva sylvestris in bloom and developing fruits on a verge near Monmouth.

#WildWebsWednesday Speckled Wood, Pararge aegeria in woodland near Monmouth.

#Wildflowerhour #GrassChallenge I think this is Timothy, Phleum pratense in a small meadow area near Monmouth.