What's not to like?

Down to the Med by train, on time, no probs. Unsure if the botanical highlight was Patience Dock at St Pancras or London Rocket in Paris.

Can’t wait for JD Vance to campaign for Reform in the UK. How about next week? Is next week good for you?

A few of the species flowering on a woodbank nearby, for #wildflowerhour

6️⃣6️⃣ more days of posting a poorly drawn World Cup moment every day until the tournament kicks-off or until we forget to post one Today: it's 1930. The European teams journeying to Uruguay shared a hellish three-week boat journey. Egypt were meant to be on the boat too, but... er, yeah.

A solitary volunteer working to clear scrub, allowing herbs and primroses to recolonise an old chalk pit #wildflowerhour

It's a shame that Port Vale could not emulate the great Steeple Sinderby Wanderers.

Not an April fool - a real four-leaved clover!

Snake's-head fritillaries looking good at Walmer Castle, and spreading.

A quite stunning programme, and an inspiration for gardeners. I'll be out with bits of wood and a drill tomorrow. www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

It’s a Sycamore spring, when every seed seems to have germinated. Habitat managers look on in horror. This year’s seeds are just starting their journey. #wildflowerhour

A few quick phone shots of some of the 38 buzzards on a thermal over Eastry today - the clouds are more impressive than the distant birds.

Goat’s-beard for #wildflowerhour

Field Pansy…. “That’s for thoughts” - Ophelia in Hamlet. #wildflowerhour

A plant that has eluded me until now is the tiny Thale Cress (Arabidopsis thaliana). Until now, on just one allotment plot in Sandwich. Most had their flower stems bitten through…. Who were the nibblers? #wildflowerhour

A few hours were passed looking for the sweet Rue-leaved Saxifrage (Saxifraga tridactylites). Always a joy to find it. #wildflowerhour

A serendipitous view of a steam train leaving Dover, while recording plants by Shakespeare Cliff.

In 1894, the Rev. Charles RS Elvin recorded that "on a very clear day no fewer than twenty-one churches" could be seen from Ripple Mill above Walmer. There being a clear day yesterday, 130+ years later, we saw that all but five are still visible. kingsdownkent.blogspot.com

The first Danish Scurvy-grass of the year today #wildflowerhour

This is the best time of the year to visit St. Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury. Plenty of (mostly tiny) plants thriving on the ruined walls for #wildflowerhour

Spring Sowbread (Cyclamen repandum) naturalised enthusiastically under Hazel, in east Kent. Makes up for the lack of Toothwort!

Hairy Violet flowering right on time, on 1st March for #wildflowerhour

Moomin divination based on the first butterfly of the year that you encounter 🤍🐾🦋 'If the first butterfly you see is yellow, the summer will be a happy one... But this one was golden. 'Gold is even better than yellow,' said the Snork Maiden. 'You wait and see!'" 1/2 #WyrdWednesday

Good to catch up with the Dover Castle choughs today. Mostly around the pharos and church, as seemed to fly back to their release point for lunch.

As a nice change from the frequent sightings of Musk Stork’s-bill, it was good to record Common Stork’s-bill this week. In flower too. #wildflowerhour

Two rapidly-spreading species here in east Kent. Musk Stork’s-bill and Rescue Brome. If their spread continues they’ll be a real menace (like last year’s equivalent, Water Bent). Similar elsewhere in the country?

And the prize for the most unexpected flower in January goes to….. Water Figwort! Wingham River in Kent. #wildflowerhour

The sundial on Wingham church is impressively calibrated!

Oxford Ragwort still flowering beside the railway tracks near Paddington station. #wildflowerhour

This seems to be an unusual pattern of wood grain in Holm Oak - does anyone know what causes it?

A nice colony of Moth Mullein has naturalised on the spoil of an East Kent Colliery, out of the reach of nearby builders. Precious few other species flowering for #wildflowerhour

A Kingfisher on a stick giving a tweet and a twirl at Rye Harbour. @sussexwildlife.bsky.social #kingfisher

No snowflakes in East Kent this week, but there was one Cow Parsley plant found in flower #wildflowerhour

Tried to escape the bitter wind in Dover town for #NewYearPlantHunt #3, but failed 🥶. Frost made it difficult to find flowers, but we managed 37 species. Even the Soldiers were sheltering from the wind.

The Far East corner of Kent gave us flowering plants in churchyard, road verges and harrowed fields. ⭐️ was Sharp-leaved Fluellen. 62 species for #NewYearPlantHunt #2

Cold wind but sunny - who would have expected Common Poppy to be flowering now, in the Far East Kent #NewYearPlantHunt ?

#NewYearPlantHunt got off to a good start in a cold wind, in Woden’s East Kent, with 68 species flowering. Sandy arable delivers! Rescue Brome, Musk Stork’s-bill are both increasing rapidly here, and Alexanders is everywhere(but precious few flowering yet). Garden Cress was new to us.

A Happy New Year to all! 🥂🌼 My summary of the year is on the blog kingsdownkent.blogspot.com ending with the find of the month, Argentine Fleabane (Erigeron bonariensis), found on a farm track in Marshborough, a second for Kent (the first being in 1978 in Greenhythe).

Finally, after checking many Holly bushes, the first flowers! #wildflowerhour

The first flowers of Green Hellebore are starting to open, part of a thriving population in a wood in deepest east Kent #wildflowerhour

Blue Fleabane is still to be found. The Latin name Erigeron means “old man’s ear-hair” apparently - very accurate! #wildflowerhour

The number of flowering species is falling now (and will fall further before the NYPH no doubt) but some sturdy types are hanging on - pleased to find this Small-flowered Crane’s-bill #wildflowerhour

Arable weeds in a harrowed-not-sprayed field near Dover. Plants like Dwarf Spurge, Field Madder and Dense-flowered Fumitory are good to see, especially in December. #wildflowerhour #wnter10

Plentiful Cut-Leaved Dead-Nettle in a newly-planted orchard brightened up a dull floral week #wildflowerhour

Marvellous assessment of the first session of the test. www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/d...

Strolling round Sandwich we happened upon St Clement’s church, where the churchyard is sensitively managed for wildlife. @kentwildlife.bsky.social www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/blog/rewildi...

Our #NovemberFlowerChallenge ended on 248 species, mostly late-flowerers, but occasionally (like Primrose and Winter Heliotrope) early. An unusual month in many ways. #wildflowerhour

Naturally, @zdroberts.bsky.social took time out of his holiday to write a story about this for @ecvanalog.bsky.social

Stinking Chamomile brings up 245 flowering species in November. And fire and brimstone in the sunshine!

The November flower list ticked up to 240 with a Goat’s-beard at The Bay, where a farmer kindly led frisky cattle away from the footpath. The favourite Lunch Bench was occupied.