The satisfaction & relief of bringing the tender fuchsias & agapanthus into the greenhouse before the first forecast sharp frosts of the winter. Also moved pots of hardy plants around & planted two tubs of spring bulbs. Almost winter-ready 🍂🍁🌷

A lovely package of beautiful things from @theweeowl.bsky.social has arrived safely through #StormClaudia. Inside the tissue paper is a precious drawing, protected from damp by a cellophane sleeve. Do check out @theweeowl.bsky.social & treat yourself & others to her delightful, unique work. 🦉🎁🖌️

A quiet November so far, I am hoping for some sales on my most popular subjects before the end of the month. If you are outside the UK the time to order for Christmas is now! folksy.com/find/item/85... #Mushrooms #OriginalArt #Drawing #Painting #Artwork #GiftIdeas #ShopIndy #ChristmasGifts #bsnm

The rain from #StormClaudia is lashing down. The lack of human activity is an opportunity for birds to visit our garden undisturbed. A Goldcrest has worked it's way around every branch of the young Blenheim Orange apple tree, raindrops bouncing off its shielding feathers.

One of the badgers moving forward, searching for peanuts at the start of the night. The moonlight creating dark and light patterns amongst the trees. #mammals

Please add your name to it now and share this post! protectthewild.substack.com/p/petition-l...

The presses are rolling! My first wild fairytale has gone to print. Nature’s Advent Calendar – A Wild Fairytale will soon unfold. Inspired by my Advent calendars, sharing nature’s treasures, it’s a tale of twenty-four small doors opening into nature’s quiet magic. Published by Cloth of Nature Press

If you are in the Oxford area next Thursday, I’m giving a talk on the birds of the Lye Valley area. It’s a multimedia presentation (pictures and calls!) covering the resident and migratory birds recorded in this part of the city. See you there! @friendlyevalley.bsky.social #Oxonbirding #Oxford

A misty day when cloud sat so low over the land that it's moisture covered everything. Up high above the clouds, a thin seeping noise as parties of Redwing arrived for winter. One group dropped low to circle the copse once, twice & again. Committing the luxuriant berried trees to group memory.

An observation test for you - for your inner 8 year-old “The artist has hidden 12 things in this picture. How many can you find?” Treasure magazine, 1964 Official answers coming soon (Even if you don’t reply, could you please ‘like’ or share this one? 🙏)

I think this is a Frosted Orange moth. Or perhaps a Sunflower Borer. Thanks to Google lens for those suggestions, I had never seen a moth like this before. It was uncovered when I was harvesting potatoes, hiding in the compost. The metallic sheen & Fin de Siecle pattern is stunning.

End of September, high pressure = clear skies. The mornings start chilly, with mist rising from the river. The sun's warmth is still strong, lots of butterflies still around: Speckled Woods, Whites, Red Admirals & a fresh Brimstone today #butterflies 🐛🦋 @savebutterflies.bsky.social

A north-easterly wind, 13 degrees Celsius & swallows are flying northwards over the house in pairs. There must have been 30 of them since I noticed. Another now! Also a Hummingbird Hawkmoth on Verbena bonariensis in the chilly morning. Last days of summer.

I met this fine looking chap/ess today. It's the caterpillar of a Grey Dagger moth but how I wanted it to be the butterfly that it most resembles: a Swallowtail. Sadly we're many counties adrift from them.

A shoal of ten swallows have flown over the house. Due south through the warm blue early autumn skies. Safe travels little ones. See you next year.

My first Small Copper of the year, this afternoon between heavy rain showers. AND A SWALLOW HAS FLOWN PAST AS I WRITE! I'm so thrilled to see these little souls.

We're fairly convinced that we saw an Osprey hunting at #Farmoor reservoir this afternoon around 5pm. Seen through binoculars the raptor had a pale face with a black ring behind the eyes & wings like a mottled-brown massive lapwing. It dived in & caught a sizeable fish. Definitely a raptor but what🤔

Swifts! They're still here 🎉 Two have just flown past from east to west probably heading to the reservoir to feed.

It’s been nearly 3 months since our petition to end the badger cull hit 100,000 signatures, yet still no word on a debate. The government continues to ignore us. It’s disgraceful.

I've just done a #Bigbutterflycount for @savebutterflies.bsky.social on this sunny morning. I've been able to record on their app: 1 large white, 1 Red Admiral & 14 😲 Gatekeepers. But there was also a bonus Hummingbird Hawkmoth 🎉 One lavender was preferred to the other 3!

Hello friend! I didn't expect to find you in the cucumber growbag, but you're very welcome. 🐸🐌

Amongst many wonderful sights at Rousham gardens yesterday, these delicate harebells peeked out from the edge of the conifers. #wildflowerhour

The UK #heatwave defeated our plans to be at @globalbirdfair.bsky.social today 🙁 Determined to celebrate birds, we visited @rspbotmoor.bsky.social & saw Lapwing, Curlew, about 30 Egrets, Greylag Geese, Goldfinches, two Common Cranes flying & a Glossy Ibis stalking the lagoon utterly at home in Oxon.

The temperature is approaching 33 Celsius and suddenly there are many ladybirds flying about outside the window. Maybe the air's a bit cooler in the shade of the house. Their orange outer wings are little stained glass windows against the blue sky 🌅🐞

If you find a grounded swift, it needs expert & urgent help. Please contact me so I can link to rehabber. These birds can’t easily take off from the ground & in hot weather, chicks who 👀 like this aren’t quite able to fly & often are pushed or jump out of their nests.

Heatwave emergency measures are necessary: the rabbits are in the house as it's 4 or 5 degrees cooler than their shed/ the garden. They're eating breakfast & we all had a quiet night. Please put a dish of water out on the ground if you can for creatures that can't escape the heat.

A little bit early in the evening for the #badger cub to leave the safety of the sett entrance but a stretch to reach an offered peanut is in order. #mammals

The nasturtiums are doing brilliantly - never grown them before. Just before peak flower, they've become home to aphids, ants, eggs & now caterpillars. They're all welcome but are at risk of literally eating themselves out of house & home 🐛🐜🦋🏵️

Day 30 of #30DaysWild 2025 It's a hot one in the south of England, currently 31 Celsius here. After this month of paying more attention to the nature around me & having seen 2 Green-veined white 🦋 on wet soil, I've put out an additional dish of water in the shade. Take care everyone 🌡️

Day 29 of #30DaysWild 📢 Alert! We have entered Gatekeeper season 📢 There were four pristine little Pyronia tithonus fluttering around the garden at one point this morning. They're very accommodating & patient. Lots of other insects too, it was buzzing 🦋🐞🐝🪰🪳🦟🦗🪲

Day 28 of #30DaysWild The solitary bee hotel is being used again this year 🎉 The pattern of inhabitation changes & they've found some interesting coloured materials this year. Whilst I watched - a bonus visit from a busy bee 🐝

Day 27 of #30DaysWild Looking with more curiosity than usual at the seed heads of Canterbury Bells (Campanula persicifolia). Each has four indentations that gradually pull apart as it dries, to release the ripe seed. Genius! Today's ladybird was rescued from the cut stalks. 🐞

Day 26 #30DaysWild Putting food out for the birds everyday through the year highlights the shifts in species, population & behaviour. It's peak fledgling time now & this a typical range of sparrows, starlings, jackdaws, blackbirds. Lots of cover for them as there's often a sparrowhawk around.

Day 25 of #30DaysWild A symphony of purple shades blooming today. It's also been a ladybird-rich day, tiny orange ones, yellow multi-spots (Colorado beetles?) and more familiar native 7 spots.

Day 24 #30DaysWild With less than 1 MONTH TO GO until the @savebutterflies.bsky.social Big Butterfly Count, I got some practice in & saw: Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown Large White, Small White & the unofficial indeterminate White. Also a Scarlet Tiger moth & the wings of a Cinnabar. 🐛🦋

Day 23 #30DaysWild Golden hour in the garden. #LetitbloomJune and the feathery grass flowers are waving to the knapweed that has Yellow Rattle at its feet. Just out of view are Field Scabious and Betony. Later bats will visit to chase the moths that hide here.

Day 22 #30DaysWild (catching up) Just some of the natural history and biography books that sustain me. Some are cherished old friends, some still strangers whose company I'm looking forward to embracing.

Always thoughtful and lyrical. The blogger is a retired attorney; I believe she has a PhD in English or American literature. ninanaomimindfulsimpleliving.blogspot.com/2025/06/the-...

Day 21 #30DaysWild During the welcome warm rain shower as I was taking this, a Hummingbird Hawkmoth whizzed up to the strawberry. Utterly overwhelmed with delight. Happy #SummerSolstice & blessings!

Day 20 #30DaysWild I'm trying out copper tape around the vegetable bed as a mollusc deterrent. So far, so good. But I hadn't reckoned on their sneaky burrowing technique 😲🐌

Repost if you agree the proposed Planning & Infrastructure bill needs scrapping! Take action: protectthewild.org.uk/planningbill...

Day 19 of #30DaysWild sitting in the garden listening to a blackbird holding his territory beautifully & gazing at the sky full of mare's tails. It's 2 days before the longest day, has been 29 Celsius & will be hotter tomorrow.

Day 18 of #30DaysWild Talked with a much-valued friend about all the nature we'd found, seen, heard and watched or read about since we last met. This included Blue Tits, Red Admirals, Springwatch, three types of orchid, Cuckoo's Lea, newts, cotton grass, ladybirds ....

Day 17 #30DaysWild Two Scarlet Tiger moths (Callimorpha dominula) fluttered around the garden this afternoon, before seeking shade to rest in. They were both pristine.

Day 16 of #30DaysWild in the new vegetable patch. I tied a lanky broad bean up to this old hazel stick a couple of weeks ago. Today I noticed it has a tiny hole bored into it. Then a small black insect flew onto the stick & disappeared into the hole. It was there during the photo too wary to emerge.

Four #urbanplants for #wildflowerhour today from the road I live on: Fox and cubs Self-heal Pineapple weed White Valerian This has been a great incentive to focus on the everyday plants that are easily ignored. It's shone a light on gaps in my knowledge. Must buy #UrbanPlants

Day 15 of #30DaysWild A blurry phone pic of an insect that I first saw on the kitchen window this morning: a male green thick-thighed flower beetle, Odemera nobilis. He could be the same one living up to his name on this geranium later in the day.

I missed Day 13 of #30DaysWild due to phone issues, but that morning I found this chap sunning himself on the shed. I think he's a male Common Blue Damselfly. In previous years Red Damselflies have been more prevalent but I've not seen one in the garden yet.