Had a great conversation with the team behind the KNMI Met Office podcast today, talking all things weather and climate, under perfect spring sunshine.

My old pond is making way for a new one. It’s incredible what is living in just 3 by 2 meters — 70 Smooth Newts and hundreds of dragonfly larvae, all saved and moved to safety.

Goodbye frost and snow, hello flowers! At last, a more spring-like #TheWinter10, featuring five plants from my wildlife garden and five from my local area. #WildflowerHour 🌸

Inspired by excellent research from @bsbibotany.bsky.social and @metoffice.gov.uk, I wrote an article on how climate change is impacting plant flowering times. The British research is also highly relevant for the NL, as we are seeing more flowering species during the Dutch #NewYearPlantHunt 🌱❄️

Huge thanks to our volunteers for their great work improving habitat for the Red-Listed Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus) and other heathland species despite the chilly weather! 🦋 #butterfly #conservation

A wonderful morning soundtrack: trumpet vibes from a flock of Cranes flying over my house. 🎺

Spring here takes patience, but progress is showing. Helleborus, crocuses and the first Chrysosplenium buds are appearing, alongside the familiar #Thewinter10 plants I’ve been seeing these past weeks #WildflowerHour

My Dover Chalk Down Dwarf Thistle made it through the winter inside and is thriving! Tiny spikes are already showing on the second pair of leaves 🌱 #WildflowerHour

Out in the field today with the BinnensteBuiten TV crew, filming amazing stream valleys where groundwater brings incredible biodiversity to life! 🎬🌿💚

Three new arrivals in my #WildflowerHour week & #TheWinter10: Stinking Hellebore, Common Whitlowgrass, and Chinese Witch Hazel. Meanwhile, Red dead-nettle continues to bloom, brave and persistent, despite the cold and freezing rain.

Exploring the possibilities of habitat improvement for the Red-Listed Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus) this week. 🦋 Starting this project in a few weeks! #butterfly #conservation

Freezing rain. Even the dog was struggling to keep its footing..

6:30am. Loud amber warning on my phone ⚠️. Freezing rain. Not an exaggeration, as it turned out in the daylight.

The usual stuff for this week's #Thewinter10: tough little troopers that couldn’t care less about frost and snow — and yes, even some uplifting signs that spring is on its way. #WildflowerHour

An afternoon stroll along a stream with the very first leaves of Lesser Water-parsnip (Berula erecta), seepage bubbling up here and there, and Water Horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile) popping up — see them in action! 🌱🎬 #WildflowerHour

Weird winter so far. Stuck for weeks between frost and thaw under persistent high pressure. Sunny yesterday, snow today, then briefly milder for a couple of days next week (6–10°C). Winter won’t commit, but spring isn’t showing up either ❄️🌤️

This week, I did a heathland and grassland survey and found Mat-grass. In winter, the plant really stands out from a distance due to its bristle-like growth #WildflowerHour

With few species in bloom, I turned my #WildflowerHour challenge into finding #Thewinter10 rosettes 1. Dianthus armeria, Geranium pyrenaicum, Erodium cicutarium, Plantago coronopus, Hypochaerus radicata 2. Centaurea cyanus, Daucus carota, Agrostemma githago, Cardamine hirsuta, Aphanes australis

A few more snaps from last night’s intense aurora show. The colours were insanely bright – a “dancing” green band even stretched right down towards the south. Really impressive ✨ #aurora #auroraborealis #northernlights

An absolutely amazing northern lights show tonight — even right above my head and in the southern sky. Moving south like a wave. Even more spectacular than last year.

Hard to find plants for #Thewinter10. Red nettle survived the winter & snow, just like a few others. Some are already dreaming of spring… just before winter makes a comeback this week 🌱 #WildflowerHour

Last day of this snowy winter ❄️ Time for one final snap of these beautiful windswept snow dunes 📸

Even in this winter wonderland ❄️ I spotted daffodils in bud 🌼 and fresh green honeysuckle leaves 🌿 Plenty of promise left for #Thewinter10 2.0 🌱 in the weeks to come

Daisy, dandelion and buttercup — all buried under 25 cm of snow ❄️ Mostly ice flowers this #Wildflowerhour week for #Thewinter10… and yet, two species still in bloom!

Altocumulus undulatus formed by wind shear as colder continental air advects from the northeast; overnight lows near −15 °C.

A Siberian-style walk amid another 10 cm of fresh snow, strong winds, and at times intense drifting snow. #snow #winter

Cold & frosty morning, 20 cm of snow, -10°C.

One week, two looks: pre-snow and post-snow! Somehow, I’ve still got some interesting records for #NewYearPlantHunt and #WildflowerHour #Thewinter10

A happy botanical year to everyone! My area got a magical makeover on the day I had my #WildflowerHour adventure — it turned into #Thewinter10 cm of snow 😄

One of my 2025 highlights: a magical day wandering through the chalk downland of Lydden Temple Ewell this summer, managed by @kentwildlife.bsky.social. Rolling countryside, delicate chalk flora, and a fine variety of butterflies — Adonis Blue and Chalk Hill Blue — dancing in the sunshine.

Time to look back at some 2025 highlights 🌿 One of them was a trip to a nature restoration project in the central Netherlands — an absolute orchid feast with at least ten different species, including Fragrant Orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea) and a hybrid albino orchid I’d never seen before. #orchids

My #Thewinter10 includes 5 #urbanplants, most naturalised, from an ancient city center, thriving in the milder city climate + 5 plants from my own area at the edge of city and countryside #WildflowerHour

Surprised to see so much yarrow (Achillea millefolium) still in bloom — it felt like main season! A flowering bulbous buttercup was also a special find this late in the year #Thewinter10 #WildflowerHour

No plant hunting today. Two nights of -7°C and we’re skating on flooded fields - winter magic just for one day ❄️⛸️

Sharp-flowered Rush (Juncus acutiflorus) is still fresh green, and with backlighting the transverse septa in the stem become clearly visible #wildflowerhour

For this week’s #WildflowerHour, a special #Thewinter10 collage of 10 lichen species, which I found growing on an exposed sand drift.

Cold weather is on the way, so I’m enjoying all these blooming plants for #TheWinter10 while I still can. Found these fresh green plants in a ruderal spot and a nearby park #WildflowerHour

An excellent week for a new #TheWinter10 – lots of flowers, mostly familiar species, plus a few nice surprises for #WildflowerHour 🌼

A great companion on my #WildflowerHour walks, with a nose for plants – Charlie the botanist 🌿 Here are our #TheWinter10 favourites.

Beautiful cirrus clouds this morning - wispy, hair-like and high up, with even a ragged edge underneath.

Great news. After 89 years, Yellow nutsedge (Cyperus flavescens) has been rediscovered in the Netherlands. This iconic species was last seen in 1939. The location is remarkable: a recreation field in Amsterdam! www.naturetoday.com/intl/nl/natu...

With the mild weather (14°C today), some of my garden plants are starting to bloom again. For this week’s #WildflowerHour, I’ve got a #TheWinter10 mix of wild and garden flowers! 🌿✨

I spotted two surprising flowers blooming in early December: Oxlip (Primula elatior) and Bulbous Buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosus). Lovely to share here for #WildflowerHour #TheWinter10!

Spent the afternoon wandering around sites with natural base-rich (Ca- and Fe-) seepage and their trusty indicator plants, getting ready for my Radio 1 interview this Friday. The colours were simply breathtaking up close!

After a little wintery nip last weekend, we’re back in double figures again - great for #TheWinter10 this week. And with all the flower buds I’ve seen, there’s more to come! #WildflowerHour

Spotted this Garden Lobelia in my hometown and couldn’t help but smile — a surprising #TheWinter10, and I’m pretty sure one of @trevorthebotanist.bsky.social favourite #urbanplants too. Shame there’s no pub nearby!

A wintry week(end) with snow and a touch of frost. Plenty of pretty stuff to share for this week’s #Thewinter10 #WildflowerHour

It’s snowing big fluffy flakes — heading out for a real #thewinter10 #Wildflowerhour!

I gave myself a lovely birthday gift: two floras/field guides and a membership of the @bsbibotany.bsky.social

This mild weather keeps tempting me out for some plant hunting. So yep… here I am, posting another #TheWinter10 for #WildflowerHour