Once you realise this, you can't *unrealise* this...

Did u know? Thistles aren't probably the first plant you think of when considering flowers for your garden, but they're essential for Painted Lady butterflies. They're the caterpillar food plant for these iconic winged beauties. So go on,let a few prickles self-seed into your outside space. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🦋🐛

Did u know? My insect starvation *hallucinations* are at their height right now. I see them in everything I do (because I'm not seeing them on the wing yet) I was sharing dates with my friends after our Tai Chi class & the pile of date stones *morphed* into bee pupae. Left,dates...right,bee. 🐝🌍🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🪲

Just 30 days before spring begins (in the northern hemisphere at least!) and we begin to see the magical flights of #bats🦇 as they catch insects in the night sky.

Did u know?There's something magical that insects do to me.They turn me into a time traveller - as soon as I see a Cinnabar moth 🐛,for e.g, I am instantly transported back to my childhood when every Groundsel/Ragwort plant was literally dripping with these hungry munching machines - wonderful 🌍🪲🌱🇬🇧🌱🐛

A new study warns UK winters are becoming significantly wetter — with rainfall rising 7% for every degree of warming. Yet Reform dismiss the scientific consensus and want scrap action to stop the climate crisis.

Did u know? Not all pollinators feed purely from flowers - try putting overripe fruit out for them this summer. Look at these Red Admirals(& a honeybee)enjoying the sweet juices from this melon(pic from a few years ago). So don't bin your overripe bananas - feed them to your pollinators. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🦋🐝🪰🪲

A distraction from rugby anyway… Good news. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Did u know?Bet you've never thought of using wool in yr compost.Organic packing wool is perfect,because it's been cleaned of chemicals. Cut it up into chunks & add it to yr pile.It has essential elements plants need, like nitrogen,potassium,sodium,iron & phosphorus & it helps retain moisture.🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🐑

This is why we need to celebrate the presence of ivy in outside spaces...

Did u know? Hoorah for early emerging insects. After the dearth of winter when they're mostly inactive, the appearance of every early emerger is just wonderful to see. This is(I think)a Grey Shoulder-Knot moth. It's here to feed on my Kilmarnock willow catkins. Such a subtle speckled beauty. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🪲🌍🦋

Nice article on how pet flea & tick treatments end up in rivers: the-european.eu/story-57030/...

Did u know?I don't*get*folks who get the "ick" with insects.They're pest controllers;pollinators;organic matter processors;seed dispersers & food providers for other animals. There's other stuff they do for free too - joy givers;sound enhancers by buzzing & whirring & they lk gorgeous too.🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🪲🌍🐝🪰🦋🐞

Get your wildflower seeds from Jemima's Garden this season. She has a fantastic and intelligent selection..

And yet there's been so much on this! For instance by expert @davegoulson.bsky.social: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiBY... @phoebeweston.bsky.social's pieces: www.theguardian.com/environment/... and www.theguardian.com/environment/... In US: www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi..., etc

Point of no return: a hellish ‘hothouse Earth’ getting closer, scientists say

SUCH positive news! 🦫 🦫 🦫

Did u know? This is why solitary bees are better pollinators than social bees like bumblebees/honeybees(approx 10 x better)because,in the main,it's pollen the collect as they forage, to create a huge pollen mound in each nest cell.This acts as an inbuilt larder for their developing larvae. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🐝

1.Did u know? @benjyhere.bsky.social has solitary bees emerging, already & so I panicked. As mine are overwintering in their tubes in my summerhouse, I decided to get the pupae out & put them in their release chamber, so they're ready to go. This is a job I hate - pruny fingers & aching neck 🌱🌿🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🐝

Hi @rdimond.bsky.social I need help. I've been taking out my solitary 🐝 pupae from their 🐝boxes.I've left these trays alone,as I'm not sure what 🐝 they are.Yellow-Faced 🐝? They've used resin & mud plugs for nests & have closed them with resin. Do I leave them, or can the pupae be taken out? Thanks🙏

Did u know? Digging soil to get out weeds is tough on your back & on the soil. It destroys the structure of this precious habitat & breaks up the lives of trillions of tiny souls who call it home. If you need to suppress enthusiastic weeds,use a biodegradable cover,like wool or cardboard. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🦠🪱

Did u know? One of THE best highs you can have is seeing small souls flourish in your wildlife garden. By planting Gorse, not only will you provide food for emerging queen bumblebees, saving them from starvation, you'll also save the hundreds of babies they have yet to hatch. 🌍🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🐝🪲🐙

Humans continue to poison the species that sustain planetary ecosystems. We are so very stupid.... www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Did u know?The more I garden for wildlife, the more"at odds"I am with *traditional* gardening methods.This pic comes from a natural gardening catalogue. I celebrate the presence of every Chafer beetle in my garden - I certainly don't set traps to kill them & I would never kill my moss,either. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍

Did u know?Rewilding part, or all of your outside space will have a positive impact on beleaguered wildlife,but where to start? I get asked lots of questions - How easy is it?Do I need training? Will my outside space become an uncontrollable wilderness? These are 4 fab books I use. 🌍🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱 #rewildling

Yes. Just like health warnings in cigarette packets...

‘Stark warning’: pesticide harm to wildlife rising globally, study finds

Did u know? Winter is all about planning for fresh projects in the wildlife garden. One of THE best things you can do for small souls in your outside space is to create new habitats, like a wildlife pond (no fish in it please) . If you do, you'll get these - what's not to like? Go dig... 🌱🌿🇬🇧🌱🌍🦎🐸

Lawnmowers: hugely overrated.

Did u know? Small souls love to hide, nest, live & shelter in nooks & crannies. So, celebrate imperfections in your garden. Don't fill in holes, or smooth over cracks - it might look like a *mess* to you, but it'll be paradise to a bee/wasp, or fly... 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🪲🌍🪰🐝

Did u know?A great use of old branches is to make them into a dead hedge. I weave my old large branches into the fabric of my rose arch. It minimises trips to the tip & creates a handy cat barrier,allowing birds to feed safely on seed we put down. Go on,go weave. It's fun to do too #deadhedge 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🐦‍⬛

No, your artificial lawn is not a "life hack". It's another tiny nail in the planet's coffin.

Did u know? Having a wildlife garden means minimising waste & re-using as much as poss. Live by the mantra - whatever grows in the garden, stays in the garden. Don't take dead wood or logs to the tip,pile them up in your outside space to create fabulous habitats for all sorts of small souls. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🪵

Chips often flies in doing a barrel roll. It is the most amazing sight. I think this is the first time I have captured him doing a full roll. Amazing to see him upside down in flight! He is a real show off 😆

Cut blackthorn hedges less often = boost brown hairstreak butterflies. Really simple, cost-free (or even money-saving) measures can massively benefit wildlife. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Did u know? When you're really keen to see insects on the wing again, you start imagining things. For a moment I thought this was a dragonfly/damselfly hovering outside my bedroom window. Alas, only an old bit of one of my rambling roses stuck on a cobweb. Darn.. 🪲🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍

Did u know? Every year life goes into such a deep sleep in winter,part of you fears it'll never return,but it does.The first flowers are out now & with them, their beauty & scent.Next,it'll be their pollinators & the garden will be alive once again.Sarcococca is a fave.It's scent is heavenly.🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🐝

This'll lift your spirits....

The latest on insect declines, neonicotinoids and pet parasiticides youtu.be/f_g9e1LtFY4 via @YouTube

Did u know? Even though we love her, we don't enjoy our old cat - the risk she poses (& all cats) to wildlife in the garden is way too much & she will definitely be our last. This little mouse she brought in had a lucky escape & happy (& super speedy) relocation. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🐁🐱

🙏🫂💙💛🇪🇺

The way of the Hare & lying low in it's form.

Did u know?Folks say to me what do you mean by "no-dig"?Digging your soil regularly means baring its nutrients to the harsh sun to dry out;it means destroying its structure,where trillions of microorganisms & small souls take shelter,creating a balanced ecosystem that supports so much life. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🪱🦠

Scotland, you little beauty. 🙌

Just, wow! 💚

Did u know?Global warming makes me so nervous as a solitary bee Mum. My Hairy-Footed Flower Bees usually emerge Feb/March,coinciding with my Daphne flowering(food plant).This winter has been so mild,my Daphne is flowering already.So,I've decided to put the HFFB nesting bricks outside early🤞. 🌍🌱🌿🇬🇧🌱🐝🪲

Everything is awful but the creativity behind some of these handmade posters gives me a glimmer of hope in humanity.

If first you don't succeed...

Did u know? This year, let's all make our outside spaces less left - unnatural, sterile, controlled, barren places & more right - natural, verdant, chemical-free, filled with food, 1000's of flowers & 100's habitats for small souls. It's so much easier on your back too... 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🐦‍⬛🐞🦊🦎🦡🦔🪱🪰🕷️

And so, it came to pass... news.un.org/en/story/202...