Now the other water lily is out! This is Arc-en-ciel, named for its supposed rainbow colour though it mostly looks white to me. Lovely anyway.

I just signed a @theactionnetwork.bsky.social petition: An Open Letter In Support of Scientific American. Sign here: actionnetwork.org/petitions/an...

Some roses, because it’s rose season. Rosa gallica var. Officinalis, the Apothecary’s Rose, also the Red Rose of Lancaster. Perhaps the oldest rose in cultivation. The camera struggles to capture its extraordinarily intense colour.

High summer is here, hot and humid, as we get a lick (but thankfully no more than that) of the infernal heat wave that’s tormenting continental Europe. The pond looks like a documentary from the Pantanal. And the first water lily has opened! The lovely James Brydon. Golden lily in background.

Only it doesn't. It doesn't upend anything, because NOBODY in the early tetrapods research community believed that all early tetrapods had a tadpole-like larval stage or that this was a key enabler of the transition to land. I have been at the heart of this community for 40 years and I KNOW.😡

Husaby Church, near Kinekulle. The place where king Olof Skötkonung converted to Christianity and was baptized in 1008. The tower is late 11th century, possibly the oldest stone building in Sweden (excluding Skåne, which was Danish then). And yes, it really looks like this! No filter.

On the road back home, stopped off in the town Lidköping for lunch in its lovely 17th century Old Town Hall. But what’s this? A plaque on the wall points to a nightmarish revenant from 20th century British horror fiction.

Off on a cruise into the Gothenburg archipelago on the S:t Erik, built in 1881. Long since converted from steam to diesel, alas, but you can’t have everything.

As a slight tweak on the theme, here are three perfect covers, all from the golden years of the late 60s: 1. Joe Cocker - “With a little help from my friends” 2. Janis Joplin - “Summertime” 3. Jimi Hendrix - “All along the watchtower”

Today we made an excursion to Store Mosse National Park, just a stone’s throw from Hädinge. The largest area of bog in southern Sweden. Absolutely vast, what you see in the photos is just a small part.

Here’s where we spent Midsummer: Hädinge (near Värnamo in Småland) in the evening sunshine. Big family gathering, a whirlwind of children and dogs. A good time was had by all.

Timeline cleanser. Stjärnorp Ravine - somewhat surprisingly, owned by a branch of the Douglas family since the 17th century - offers flowing water, birdsong, and swathes of ostrich-feather fern.

Where I’m staying tonight. Yes,really. Finspångs Slott.

Now all the tall bearded irises of the main bed are in full bloom. Here’s a roll call: Proud Tradition (which you have seen before):

The first roses are out! First out the gate, as usual, is this white Centifolia. Uncertain origin, probably Dutch 16th century. Delicate flowers, but the plant is a 2 metre tall cascade of living barbed wire that tried to snag me every time I pass.

Some lovely new garden photos by @janetahlberg.bsky.social. First up, peony Coral Sunset which has just opened in the front garden.

Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe.

Well fancy that. The King and Queen just rode by in their carriage. With Crown Princess Victoria following.

Stockholm, where they know how to do classy public transport.

The last few fancy rhododendrons are in bloom…

Garden update: now the bearded irises are starting to open! This is one of my favourite phases. Here are the first: Well Suited (1990). A very small iris, only about 20-30 cm tall.

In Stockholm, in the German Church with its rich decorations (including gilded cage for visiting royals) and crazy can’t-quite-figure-out-the-renaissance vault, waiting for a concert of 16th century choral music by The Seventeen. Should be good!

The peonies keep coming. This seedling is white, essentially identical to its mother P. rockii, and seems quite happy in deep and dry shade under trees. It provided an elegant perch for a very small fly.

A garden update: the lovely peony Time Traveller with rhododendrons Schneekrone, Percy Wiseman and Scarlet Wonder in the background.

Ukraine is getting Gripen! It’s all over the evening news tonight. 🇸🇪🤝🇺🇦

Bleeding hearts in the evening light. I do love backlit flowers.

Bugle, Ajuga reptans, a native flower that’s made a home in our garden. Today, everything is dusted with pine pollen.

How to turn a leaf stalk into a teatime treat. Step 1: pull a giant rhubarb leaf.

Today is a big day in our gardening calendar. About 15 years ago we bought a Paeonia rockii - a wild species of Chinese tree peony. It is still thriving and its first flower opened this morning.

On a day trip to open up the family holiday cottage by lake Trösken. @janetahlberg.bsky.social of this parish takes time to dangle her feet in the lake.

Age 4, in bed with chickenpox, my dad bought me a beautifully illustrated book about prehistoric life to cheer me up. I was blown away by the realization that this strange and glamorous world had once existed. The fascination never left me and led directly to my lifetime career as a palaeontologist.

One more peony: a particularly lovely pink mlokosewitchii. People often imagine that this species (or species complex) is always yellow, but in fact they come in a range of colours. All have luminous semi-translucent petals. The rays of Divine Light in the background are sunshine through our fence.

The first peonies are out! A yellow/pink Paeonia mlokosewitchi and a red “herrgårdspion” (a hybrid of P. tenuifolia). More to come…

I have joined over 150 other scientists & scientific organizations in speaking out against attempts to overturn protections for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. We call on the U.S. Congress to oppose attempts to overturn protections for the monument! monumentsforall.org/grandstairca...

Finally, one of our pet plants. This started out many years ago as a Christmas amaryllis bulb bought at Amsterdam airport. We managed to get it to survive the first year, and eventually it figured out that it is actually a South African bulb that’s meant to flower at the beginning of the wet season

In the front garden, magnolia Galaxy is now in bloom. It’s the showiest magnolia that’s hardy here. I’m cheating slightly because the photo of the whole tree is from last year, when the flowering was particularly perfect. The close-up is from this year.

Rhododendron time is beginning. We are still a week or so off peak flush (when there will be more pictures) but individual flowers are already opening fast. This is the low-growing Scarlet Wonder, earliest of all.

Yes indeed

Music in the garden! Listen carefully with the sound up: the whole cherry tree is humming with bees.

Our solar electricity substation has acquired a new function as blackbird nest support.

To celebrate the 100th birthday of the greatest living natural history broadcaster: a fantastic rap collage by Arthur Newton, the son of two of my closest friends from university days. Enjoy! www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4m1...

Thirty-six prominent mental health professionals entered a stark warning published into the Congressional Record by senators Whitehouse and Reed, declaring Trump mentally unfit for office and presenting "a clear and present danger" to the nation and world. www.rawstory.com/trump-mental...

Out this evening to help carry migrating amphibians across a local road to their breeding pools in the valley. As well as the usual toads and frogs, we found a newt! A lovely Lissotriton vulgaris, probably a female.

Tulipa sylvatica is a small species tulip that spreads freely among the tree peonies and small magnolias under our pine trees. The flowers are golden stars, about 5cm across.

Today the cherry tree is like a great towering shout of joy.

A moment of stillness on a sunny morning.

The Good, the Bad and Grogu.

Happy May Morning to all! We’re at home this year, tending our garden, but here’s a clip from last year when we were in Oxford and had the wonderful experience of hearing the choir of Magdalen College singing from the top of their tower at 6 am.

Spring watch in the garden, post 9: a coronet of kingcups round the pond for the 80th birthday of our king! Perfect timing.

Spring watch in the garden, post 8. The frogspawn has hatched! Hundreds of tadpoles form wriggling aggregations for a few days before they start to disperse.