An excellent morning spent peering into ditches with @edenriverstrust.bsky.social, learning all about how to spot water vole field signs. The best sort of treasure hunt, and a new poo to add to my spotters list.

The Lakes most photographed jetty? Passing by on my way to do some monitoring work, it would have been rude not to stop to take a quick snap. The quiet before the Bank holiday.

#Jagged silhouette of hawthorn, Farleton knott, for #BlueSkyArtShow. Searching for a photo, more memories jogged, this one conjuring up picnics and yellowhammers.

Out and about, doing my favourite sort of job, camera trap checking, in my favourite sort of places, the scruffy wilder edges of the Lakes. Despite the busy August traffic, once out of my car, I didn't see a soul on my excursions. But I did meet a Dor beetle.

My kind of shopping. The trackside Melancholy thistles have been drawing in the Hummingbird hawk-moths and now they're drawing in the finches. Thought we better collect a few before they clear the lot. Seed equals more plants, equals more finches.

Harebells at their best now, especially when decorated with raindrops, the extra weight not quite sufficient to keep them still enough for a sharp shot. Running fitness making slow progress, so more photos taken on the way up than on the way down.

How's about a Beltie in the snow? #BlueSkyArtShow #Alternating. Must be art, surely?

#Alternating candy stripes of Mouse ear hawkweed for #BlueSkyArtShow.

Lakeland savannah.

Busy volunteer day at work. Funny how the conversation goes at lunchtime, don't know where it started but somewhere in the middle it went quizes, flags, grass of parnassus, what do they look like? No need for Google as handily the first nursery flower of the year was out!

Perks of the job. These cherry plum trees line the drive up to Naddle farm, apparently planted many years ago by someone who liked Bullfinches. This year there are enough to go around every man, bullfinch and his dog. Very tasty!

Rock garden, limestone and wild thyme, Arnside knott. Stopping to admire the flowers and catch my breath as I try to get my legs used to running again.

Contrasting colours of my day. Ominous shades of grey in the rumbling clouds above the old barn roof, across from the potting shed where we sheltered from the rain. And the drive side lavender, bathed in sunshine and bedecked with bumblebees as I arrived home.

Carline thistle, Carlina vulgaris, if not quite as fresh as a daisy, then looking as fresh as a Carline thistle ever looks! Bringing in the bees on Whitbarrow today. #WildflowerHour

A pink peppering of Small scabious, Scabiosa columbaria, across the limestone pavements of Whitbarrow today. Also photographed whilst hanging around, waiting for fritillaries. Not a bad spot for it. #WildflowerHour

I missed the Harebell memo for #WildflowerHour, but as it's one of my favourite flowers, I happened to photograph this one earlier in the week, whilst patiently waiting for fritillary butterflies to pass by. #Harebellchallenge

Something a little more picturesque from Whitbarrow. I dream that one day I will have a garden that looks a little bit like this. But maybe nature does it best.

Whitbarrow jackpot! Maybe not such good news for the Primrose (one we planted earlier, which will recover) but an excellent find for a butterfly enthusiast like myself. The telltale feeding damage from a Duke of Burgundy butterfly caterpillar. This one was obviously a particularly hungry caterpillar

I enjoy looking through old photos for #BlueSkyArtShow. Do these feather droplets fall into the #Smooth category?

Edinburgh cobbles for #BlueSkyArtShow #Smooth

I passed! This was a case of unfinished business as I started a similar course in my twenties, but due to a change of circumstance was unable to finish it & I always regretted it. Seems the considerably older brain cells are still working. (Thought I'd failed!)

Finished the week as I began, soggy-footed from carrying out wet grassland surveys. A good year for butterflies, horseflies & insects of all sorts, the House martens making the most of the glut, whizzing about me in large numbers, just inches above the sward. Unexpected bird of the day, a peacock!

Today's work took me to the scrubby, wild edges of the Lakes where Yellowhammers still sing, Gatekeepers flit through the long grass and young buzzards wheel overhead.

Warmth plus water equals an explosion of flowers in the Haweswater polytunnel. Angelica, loosestrife plus supersized great burnet. Thankfully cooler today.

Trees in fields, great for livestock, great for ecologists! Sheltered under this fine oak for some welcome respite from the sun, and 100 million horse flies, whilst out doing grassland surveys today. Bonus close encounter with a kingfisher as I cooled off in a nearby burn. What a scorcher ☀️!

A fine day to be up in hills with the juniper group, talking all things juniper, with a bit of montane shrub chat thrown in. A welcome, cooling breeze higher up the fell, enough to blow away those horseflies!

Dale Head farmhouse, at a bend in road, #Duddon valley, Cumbria. The destination for our Sunday morning wanderings.

Spotted in the distance at the side of the lane, a flower in the sort of blue that makes you go oooh!? Jasione montana, Sheep's-bit, an unexpected find in the heart of the beautiful #Duddon valley, Cumbria. #WildflowerHour

Our friends at Nature Rich Miterdale need some help this Friday. If you fancy a healthy combo of practical conservation tasks, stunning views & occasional lounging in the sun, use the link below to book. Pls share. @leedsleaf.bsky.social @envleeds.bsky.social www.trybooking.com/uk/events/la...?

Home, amongst the cotton grass, west coast of Scotland. #BlueskyArtShow #Abandoned

Reading about ravens. Reading the news. Idea: put ravens in charge.

Pink pick me up. While I've been busy indoors, learning about growing, my plants have been getting on with it. Daphne mezereum in full bloom and the first, minute seed leaves of Purple saxifrage pushing up through the compost, too small to be photographed but big enough to give me a boost.

Found some more #reflections for #BlueskyArtShow. Can't beat a #Sandside sunset.

Today, looking over the bridge, for #BlueskyArtShow #Reflections

Old wall, older tree, Langdale valley. That post exam freedom, I've been looking forward to for so long, finally arrived! So good to get out.

One from another day for #BlueskyArtShow #Light

Too beautiful a day to spend in front of a computer, but only four sleeps until my exam, and I'm trying to remember why I thought it was a good idea. A booming Bittern, heard from bed, heralded the first day of spring, and I can't wait to enjoy it!

After a stressful few days, there is nothing quite like breathing in a beautiful fiery sunset, a big homecoming hug from my daughter (back for a few days) and macaroni cheese for tea to put things right.

Can you help us build a community nursery to grow rare wildflowers, trees and shrubs? We have an area we can use for a nursery & we now need to buy equipment such as raised beds, polytunnels and tools. Many thanks. @envleeds.bsky.social @cumbriawildlife.bsky.social gofund.me/7f214dcd

Waylaid by a cold, hungry Robin on the knott & never have I felt so guilty about a lack of biscuit crumbs in my pockets! It hopped in between my feet, on & off my knee, as I scuffed up frozen leaves & lifted rocks in search of tiny morsels. Fading light halted our hunt. Tomorrow there will be crumbs

Sad snowman remains littering the knott this afternoon and the sort of mud that results from melting snow over half frozen ground. The Lakeland fells still looking pristine white though, tinged pink and orange as the sun set.

Posting again for #ShareMondays2025. Betony stems in the all too brief but beautiful snow yesterday.

Join Jack, our colleague from Nature Rich Miterdale, for a FREE talk at one of our finest local pubs! Follow NRM here: www.instagram.com/nature.rich....

Should have been in Wales with family today, but the amber warning sent us packing and chased us home early. Snowy consolation with a walk on the knott, enough to bring the child out in everyone.

Arnside knott fell top assessment, knee high to the Betony, still snowing.

Waiting for visitors, listening to the rain, keeping an eye on the fire, scrolling through photos from the past year. Can't choose, visitors here, here you go, memories of Sanna, Skye, Arnside and Swindale. Happy New Year!

Christmas book! 💚

Some overdue fresh air & daylight this morning, after the seasonal feasting, travelling & ongoing, not so seasonal, studying. Desperately seeking spring birdsong but winter hanging on in the treetops. Today's class, 'transport in plants', including surface tension. Always something to see.

Motorway sunrise, 70mph.

No sun & nothing photogenic about tonight's sunset, but as we headed home, a quick glance over my shoulder, to see the merest hint of a fiery glow in the west, above the 'climbing tree'. Happy solstice!