#Fungi do not usually feature much in #fens because they are too wet. But in #LyeValley, drier short turf areas near seepage zones are sprouting red-orange jewels in the shape of little Blackening Waxcaps, Hygrocybe conica. @friendlyevalley.bsky.social

@friendlyevalley.bsky.social volunteers yet again repairing damage to the brook bank & fen defences after the flash floods (from road run-off water) last weekend. Soft peat of fen gets eroded, barriers must go higher, & #climatechange will make this worse in future with more intense rainstorms..

Whilst scything sedge & reedmace down in this dried down & vegetation filled pond, found hundreds of these little slimy-topped toadstools growing from wet mud or poss rotting leaves. Do any #fungi experts have any idea what they might be? Hypholoma sp. ? #fungifriends

#LyeValley #fen looking very autumnal, with warm brown as well as green tints. Still plenty of flowers though, Hemp Agrimony still going strong & still plenty of tall reed needing scything down despite heavy rain showers! @friendlyevalley.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Surprised by a troop of these brownish but flowery-sweet smelling toadstools in #LyeValley #fen . Sweet Poison Pie Hebeloma saccariolens.. mycorrhizal with crack willow roots. The name tells you all you need to know! @friendlyevalley.bsky.social #fungifriends

It’s one of the predatory #CarrionBeetles (Silphinae) which hunts snails. In that area it could be Phosphuga atrata or Ablattaria laevigata - not possible to confirm which from these photos I’m afraid.

In #Lyevalley the fen boardwalk is sometimes a good place to spot species. We know this is a Long winged conehead cricket, but what is this black segmented beast, a beetle larva? @coleopsoc.bsky.social @friendlyevalley.bsky.social

We are relieved to see Oxford City Rangers onsite in #LyeValley measuring up our burnt boardwalk section for replacement soon. This burnt section attracted a viviparous lizard to do a bit of basking between rain-showers- perhaps blacker a little bit warmer? @friendlyevalley.bsky.social

#WildflowerHour #inverts #OxfordshireFens

This is just so the Devil's-bit Scabious time & bumbles are working it flat out in #LyeValley #fen . I'm so pleased that all our seed collection & spreading has given them a mist of blue flowers an abundant nectar & pollen source. Here a buff -tailed intent on work @friendlyevalley.bsky.social

Our seed collecting bags, left for a while whilst doing other jobs, always seem to be found by a Dark Bush Cricket. Never miss a chance for some effective basking! @friendlyevalley.bsky.social

It's flat out seed collecting in #LyeValley #fen. Greater Bird's foot Trefoil & then Marsh Helleborine orchid pods. All seed extracted to be put straight back out in newly scythed restoration areas. Might have to wait 7 yrs for the orchids! @bsbibotany.bsky.social @freshwaterhabitats.bsky.social

Lye Valley #fen looking so good today. Restored fen area amazingly flowery with Grass of Parnassus, Parsley Water-dropwort & Devil's-bit Scabious starting @friendlyevalley.bsky.social @freshwaterhabitats.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Delighted to spot this pristine Brown Hairstreak butterfly this morning in the Lye Valley, Oxford, the first adult I've ever seen there! #Recorded #UKWildlife #WildlifePhotos #inverts #OX3 @friendlyevalley.bsky.social @tverc1.bsky.social @upperthames.bsky.social

Our Grass-of-Parnassus is now carpeting large areas of the west side of the Valley. Henry Taunt (1842–1922), an Oxford based photographer once described them as “like twinkling stars in the shadowy grass”. Seeing them now it's easy to understand what he meant! #WildFlowerHour @judywebb.bsky.social

We've got baby lizards! Likely lots of them! 😍 We spotted three juvenile Common Lizards (Zootoca vivipara) and one adult yesterday in a location in the Valley we've never seen them before. They seem to be doing well in the warm weather... @arc-trust.bsky.social #reptiles #UKWildlife

Rock Edge in Headington is one of the few areas of grassland chosen by @oxfordcitycouncil.bsky.social to benefit from their new "cut & collect" mowing regime. Over time this will reduce the nutrients in the soil, allowing more wild flowers to flourish here. Thanks to ODS for cutting this morning. 🌰🌍

The first Spotted Flycatcher of the autumn arrived on Warneford Meadow, Oxford, this morning. This is the equal earliest ever, after a bird on 11th August 2022. The latest Lye Valley area record is 30th September, a long migration window here. #ukbirding @friendlyevalley.bsky.social

#PollinatorPals With its false nectaries, Grass-of-Parnassus flowers must look very inviting to pollinators. However, the plant cheats, and offers very little in the way of nectar to the insects that pollinate it. Here a hoverfly is trying its luck... #insects #OxfordshireFens @judywebb.bsky.social

The "scrapes" we created and sowed with native plants in the amenity grassland at Rock Edge are proving popular with the last of the summer's butterflies. Here a Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) is nectaring on the copious Marjoram still in flower. #UKButterflies @upperthames.bsky.social #Oxford

OK, so it's a dreadful photo, BUT, it's the first adult Brown Hairstreak (Thecla betulae) butterfly we've *ever* seen at Rock Edge. We routinely count the eggs over winter, but until now, the adults have remained elusive... #UKButterflies #UKWildlife @upperthames.bsky.social @judywebb.bsky.social

Here in landlocked Oxfordshire, we have no chance of contributing to the #ByTheSea challenge. Instead, we'd like to offer this dew covered Grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia palustris). Vulnerable in England and Rare in Oxon, we currently have hundreds maybe thousands in flower. #WildFlowerHour #Fens

Wasp Spiders (Argiope bruennichi) are continuing to spread. We saw two females with webs within 40cm of each other this week. Although not new to the site, iRecord says the grid reference is outside known modern range. #insects @britishspiders.bsky.social @tverc1.bsky.social @judywebb.bsky.social

Great to spot this fresh Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) butterfly in the Valley this morning. Not seen many here this year. Is anyone else seeing them? 🤔 #UKButterflies #inverts #UKWildlifePhotos #recorded @upperthames.bsky.social

Do love some tufted vetch 🥰

Some of our earlier flowering plants have already set seed. Here, one of our volunteers doing a first sweep for ripe Ragged Robin, Yellow Rattle, and Tufted Vetch seed to spread in new areas once the fen has been scythed off at the end of the season. #OxfordshireFens #FenPlants #FenRestoration 🌍

A must-see site if you're in Oxford! 🤩

Though we say so ourselves, the west side of the Valley is a real head turner at the moment. Masses of the nationally Near Threatened Parsley Water-dropwort contrasting with Purple Loosestrife and a few of our early Grass-of-Parnassus flowers adding to the mix! 😍 #WildFlowerHour #OxfordshireFens

Visitors can use the (steeper) Peat Moors entrance to access the Valley. The boardwalk from The Slade entrance remains closed.

❗ ANNOUNCEMENT ❗ It's not currently possibly to safely or easily walk the full length of the Lye Valley after some mindless vandal(s) set fire to part of the boardwalk last night. The City Council are aware of the situation, and are visiting today. @headingtonnews.bsky.social

The first of our Grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia palustris) aka Bog Star is now in flower. We're one of the most southerly sites for this plant, and thanks to our ongoing #FenRestoration work we have the largest population of them in Oxfordshire. 😍 🌍 #WildFlowerHour #OxfordshireFens #FenPlants

One to make @shitlawns.bsky.social smile 😃

The Valley has been awash with butterflies this week. Mostly Whites, with Red Admiral, Gatekeeper, Meadow Browns and a pristine Painted Lady and Holly Blue. Few of them wanted to pose on our flowers, but here's a Green-veined White (Pieris napi) on Tufted Vetch. #UKButterflies #inverts #UKWildlife

Quite a few of these attractive Rose Chafer beetles (Cetonia aurata) in the Valley this morning, making the most of our copious Meadowsweet flowers. @coleopsoc.bsky.social @judywebb.bsky.social @tverc1.bsky.social #Inverts #Coleoptera #WildWebsWednesday #UKWildlife #WildlifePhotos #WildFlowerHour

Who doesn't love a sundew? 😍 These carnivorous plants are in flower at the moment, but you have to look closely, they're very small! Spikey yellow-sedge are also fruiting on our #peat restoration sites 😀

Our Marsh Helleborines (Epipactis palustris) have been stunning this year. Originally a small colony mostly confined to the east of the Valley, thanks to our ongoing #FenRestoration work, they've spread and this year we probably have over 2000 flower spikes! #HelleborineChallenge #WildFlowerHour 🌍

In #LyeValley #fen rare Parsley Water Dropwort Oenanche lachenalii is doing exceptionally well & in cooler mizzly rain I managed a closer look at the wings of a Green Veined white butterfly, never noticed spots before.. @friendlyevalley.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social @upperthames.bsky.social

Our Ragwort plants are looking a "little the worse for wear" thanks to the massed ranks of Cinnabar (Tyria jacobaeae) moth caterpillars in the Valley. This plant has been completely stripped of leaves and flowers! 😃 #WildWebsWednesday #inverts @upperthames.bsky.social #MothsMatter

Hello Bluesky! 👋👋 We are a small group of volunteers in Kennington, Oxfordshire, working on making our village more biodiverse. Our main focus at the moment is improving the wide grass verges next to the main road - see picture. Will share more about what we've been doing in the coming days/weeks

Patch mega! A singing Reed Warbler in urban Oxford, in the tiny patch of reeds in Churchill Meadow this morning. Only my second record (and the patch 4th) in 7 years. #patchgold #patchbirding @friendlyevalley.bsky.social

BIG NEWS! We’ve found that ash trees are fighting back against ash dieback disease! 🌳💪 Scientists at Kew & QMUL ‪@qmul.bsky.social have discovered that young ash trees are evolving resistance to this devastating fungus - & fast 🌍 Read the story👉 www.kew.org/read-and-wat... #PlantScience #SciNews

Very proud at Natural England today to declare another National Nature Reserve in the King’s Series: the Wealden Heaths NNR in Surrey. Nightjars, Sand Lizards, rare insects, special plants & an evocative landscape to be managed for Nature & people in perpetuity. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Spectacular swathes of Common Valerian & Dropwort at #AstonRowant #NNR. Two of my favourite flowers & Dropwort always characteristic of old #grassland in my experience. When does Dropwort ever colonise any new areas today? The Valerian scent was beautiful. @bsbibotany.bsky.social #wildflower

Thanks to @judywebb.bsky.social for showing me the amazing work of volunteers helping with nature conservation and ecology @friendlyevalley.bsky.social. So much heritage here that echoes with @themerl.bsky.social.

Some female Crab spiders have the ability to change colour to match their background, making them a formidable ambush predator of pollinators visiting flowers. This one, waiting on a Marsh Thistle in the @friendlyevalley.bsky.social not so much... 🤣 #inverts #UKWildlife @britishspiders.bsky.social

Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in action. Traditional scything skills working in tandem with ecological expertise. A perfect example of what ICH folks would call ‘knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe.’

Very happy to show yet another group the wonderful #LyeValley spring #fen at it's most beautiful in full flower with our Marsh Helleborines at their best. here are some of Oxford Civic Society amongst the flowers @friendlyevalley.bsky.social @freshwaterhabitats.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

More usually found in flowery grassland, Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) butterflies do occasionally visit the fen. This one stopped on some of our abundant Greater Bird's-foot Trefoil just long enough to have its photo taken. @upperthames.bsky.social #inverts #UKWildlife #OxfordshireFens

The Lye Valley area of Oxford was full of young fledged birds this morning: ebird.org/checklist/S2... Winning the numbers competition was Eurasian Jackdaw, with a record patch count of 136 birds, about half of which were juveniles @friendlyevalley.bsky.social #patchbirding